Revanth Demands TS Dues, Aid in Meetings with Three Union Ministers

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had a busy day in Delhi on Thursday, meeting Union ministers Amit Shah, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Hardeep Singh Puri, to bring several issues concerning Telangana to their notice and request the Centre's help for speedy resolution.

Among the key issues highlighted by Revanth Reddy was a request for the Centre’s cooperation for the bifurcation of assets between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, payment of arrears and interest by the AP government for using buildings in Hyderabad for government machinery since the bifurcation and allocation of additional IPS officers to the state.

Revanth Reddy also sought financial aid and approvals for the second phase of Metro Rail and the Musi riverfront development, allocation of funds under PM Awas Yojana to build Indiramma houses, and award of national status for the Palamur-Rangareddy lift irrigation project.

This was the first series of meetings Revanth Reddy has held with Union ministers since assuming office. He had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 26. On Thursday, Revanth Reddy’s entourage comprised irrigation and civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari and CMO officials.

It was learnt that the Union jal shakti minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, had made it clear that it was not possible to grant national status to the irrigation project, while agreeing to foot 60 per cent of project costs under a Central scheme.

In his meeting with Amit Shah, the Chief Minister informed that at the time of the bifurcation of AP in 2014, Telangana was allotted only 76 IPS officers. He sought the allocation of an additional 29 IPS officers to meet the increased need, on account of the creation of 23 new districts, and for handling other departments and duties accorded to them.

He also brought to the notice of Shah the inordinate delay in the bifurcation of common institutions located in Hyderabad that are listed in Schedule IX and X of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. He sought a speedy and smooth bifurcation of AP Bhavan in Delhi.

Revanth Reddy urged Amit Shah to allocate an additional '88 crore to strengthen the anti-narcotics bureau to check the drug menace in Telangana and '90 crore to strengthen the TS Cyber Security Bureau.

He said that the AP government utilised the Secretariat, Raj Bhavan, High Court, Lok Ayukta and SHRC buildings after the bifurcation of the state for a few years but did not pay maintenance. He urged Shah to ensure that AP paid arrears, along with interest, which amounts to '408 crore.

In his meeting with Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the Chief Minister submitted the revised Metro Rail routes and sought approvals and funding.

The Chief Minister also sought funds for the Musi riverfront development, under which the state government proposed to build amusement parks, waterfalls, water sports, business areas and commercial complexes along the Musi catchment area to boost the economy and job creation.

In his meeting with Shekhawat, Revanth sought national project status for the Palamuru-Rangareddy project, which is aimed at irrigating 12.3 lakh acres in drought-prone and fluoride-hit districts of Nagarkurnool, Mahbubnagar, Vikarabad, Narayanpet, Rangareddy and Nalgonda, besides meeting drinking water needs of Hyderabad city and 1,226 villages in the six districts.

Speaking to mediapersons after the meetings, irrigation minister Uttam Kumar said that Shekhawat promised to sanction 60 per cent of the funds required for the Palamuru-Rangareddy project under a jal shakti ministry scheme, since the Centre has taken a policy decision not to grant national project status to those undertaken after 2014.

Uttam Kumar Reddy also said that he and Revanth Reddy would meet with UPSC officials in Delhi on Friday to seek suggestions for reforming the TSPSC, on the lines of UPSC, alleging that the previous BRS government completely failed in maintaining the sanctity and reputation of TSPSC due to frequent paper leaks and cancellation of recruitment exams.