Impress Upon Centre to Sanction Split Act provisions, Assurances, CM Tells Officials

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has asked the AP officials to impress upon the Centre the need to sanction several provisions incorporated in Schedule XIII of the AP Reorganisation of Act, 2014, and also in relation to the implementation of central assurances.

The CM was holding a review meeting with officials at his camp office here on Monday ahead of Union home secretary holding a meeting on the issue in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed concern over the way how certain provisions incorporated in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 and assurances made at the time of partition remained unimplemented in AP for the past 10 years.

He said the Centre has a responsibility to implement these assurances of the past. “In terms of debts, AP got 58 per cent share while Telangana 42 per cent. But, with regard to revenue sharing, AP got just 42 per cent while TS got 58 per cent from the Centre, he said.

The Chief Minister asked how AP’s revenue would go up if such were the circumstances.

He said that the issues like sanction of special category status (SCS) and release of funds to Polavaram irrigation project remained unaddressed. Power arrears from Telangana too were not released to AP, he said and asked the officials to pay more attention to these during their meeting with the Union home secretary on SCS and Polavaram.

Referring to AP losing revenue with Hyderabad and its infrastructure pertaining to industries and road transport and also of educational institutions going to Telangana, the Chief Minister said, “It was in order to adjust these that the AP Split Act was brought in. If its provisions were implemented, it would have helped AP’s revenue to go up.”

The CM said, “For decentralisation and comprehensive development, we came up with an announcement to develop three capitals for AP in three areas, so that it would help us realise the goal of balanced and integrated development. “There is a  need to develop the transport system connecting the three regions.”

The Chief Minister asked the officials to urge the Centre to extend its support to develop several institutions, projects and amenities including the Central Agricultural University, the Dugarajapatnam Port, the Kadapa Steel Plant and allotment of mines located near the upcoming steel plant by NMDC, so that it would help in construction of the proposed factory.

Jagan Mohan Reddy laid stress on developing a high-speed rail corridor connecting Visakhapatnam and Rayalaseema regions and on grant of a high speed train between Visakhpatnam and Kadapa via Kurnool.

He wanted officials to raise the issue of development of Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati as international airports and also the laying of a road connecting Visakhapatnam to the upcoming Bhogapuram airport. “You must also take up the issue of Visakha metro rail by mounting pressure upon the Centre to bear 40 per cent of the project cost including land acquisition, given the fact that a private agency was bearing 60 per cent of the project cost.

The Chief Minister also asked the officials to ask the Centre to resolve the pending division of assets between AP and TS.