Stage set for asset division between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: The stage is set for the division of 107 common institutions listed under Schedule X of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, between Telangana and AP, under the supervision of the Centre.

The Telangana government which has so far contended that these institutions should be allotted to a state based on their geographical location is now willing to share the assets and liabilities with AP following the SC ruling in the AP State Council of Higher Education case. The Centre has already constituted a committee with officials from both the states to resolve the dispute.

The Telangana government has nominated Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma and Advocate General A. Ramakrishna Reddy as its representatives in the committee.

The AP government on the other hand has appointed its Planning Board deputy chairman, C. Kutumba Rao and retired IAS officer, S. Balasubramanyam. The first meeting of the committee was supposed to be held on Monday but it was postponed to September 20.

The Telangana government has been waging a legal battle against the Supreme Court ruling in the APSCHE case, which directed the government to share the assets and liabilities of Schedule X institutions with AP in the ratio of population of 58:42 between AP and Telangana.

Though Telangana filed three review petitions over the last one year, all three were struck down by the apex court which directed the Centre to set up a committee to resolve the bifurcation of these institutions.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh to come to the rescue of the Telangana government by filing an affidavit in support of Telangana government in the apex court, but in vain. Left with no option, Telangana has decided to resolve the issue with AP under the supervision of the Centre which will be represented by a Union home ministry official in the committee.