Telangana CM Revanth Reddy Taps Centre on AP Split Dues

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Friday met Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and defence minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi. He was accompanied by irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy.

Reddy urged Sitharaman to release arrears of Rs 1,800 crore that has been pending from 2019 at the rate of Rs 450 crore per year under the backward areas development programme. He also sought release of Rs 2,233.54 crore dues from the 15th Finance Commission grants to the state and separate funds for the development of Hyderabad.

In his meeting with Rajnath Singh, the Chief Minister requested for transfer of lands owned by the defence ministry to the state government for taking up construction of roads and elevated corridors in Hyderabad.

Reddy also urged for transfer of 0.21 hectares of defence land to take up construction of a skywalk at Rythu Bazaar in Mehdipatnam to ease traffic congestion. He pointed out that the skywalk construction was completed except on the Mehdipatnam stretch due to a delay in transfer of defence land. Singh assured that the issue would be resolved at the earliest.

The Chief Minister also appealed for transfer of 83 acres of defence land in Secunderabad Cantonment area, where the state government proposes to construct a six-lane elevated corridor from Paradise junction to the ORR junction on Rajiv Rahadari connecting Karimnagar-Ramagundam from Hyderabad and construction of 11.30 km corridor with entry and exit ramps.

He also sought transfer of 56 acres of land to construct 18.30 km elevated corridor which has been proposed from Paradise junction near Kandlakoya to ORR on the Nagpur Highway (NH-44), out of which 12.68 km will be constructed as a six-lane elevated corridor with exit and entries in four areas, and a double-decker (for Metro Rail) corridor.

Revanth Reddy also urged the defence minister to sanction a Sainik School in the state.

Rajnath Singh responded positively to the Chief Minister's pleas.