7 years on, bifurcation issues still up in the air between TS and AP

HYDERABAD: Seven years after Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated on June 2, 2014, both Telangana and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh continue to suffer bifurcation blues as most of the promises made by the Centre to both the states in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, remaining unfulfilled.

Distribution of assets and liabilities of common institutions listed under Schedule IX, X of the Act, mostly located in Hyderabad are still pending with both states fighting cases in courts.

There are 107 institutions listed under Schedule X, of which 97 are located in TS, mostly in Hyderabad, it being the capital of undivided Andhra Pradesh for nearly six decades. There are another 89 institutions listed under Schedule IX of AP Reorganisation Act.

All these institutions together have assets worth thousands of crores of rupees in the form of buildings, lands and bank deposits, on which both the governments are staking claim.

About Rs 1,51,349 crore under capital heads, Rs 28,099 crore under loans and advances, Rs 4,474 crore under deposits and advances, Rs 238 crore under suspense and miscellaneous, and Rs 310 crore under remittances are yet to be apportioned even after seven years of bifurcation.

While the 'political rivalry' between Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, K. Chandrashekar Rao and, at that time, N. Chandrababu Naidu, respectively was attributed to delay in resolution of bifurcation issues between 2014 and 2019, the situation did not improve much even after the change of guard in AP after the YSRC government headed by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy stormed to power in 2019.

Jagan Mohan Reddy extended a 'friendly hand' to Chandrashekar Rao within days of becoming the Chief Minister by handing over all government buildings in Hyderabad including Secretariat and Legislative Assembly buildings to the Telangana state government which Naidu had refused to do till 2019 even after shifting the AP administration to Amaravati in 2016.

Though Chandrashekar Rao and Jagan Mohan Reddy initially displayed bonhomie by meeting over half a dozen times to resolve bifurcation issues, the situation is back to square one after the AP CM launched Rayalaseema lift irrigation scheme in May 2019 to divert Srisailam water, which fuelled 'water disputes' between both the states again after which both the Chief Ministers never met.

Even the Chief Secretary-level talks between the states to resolve bifurcation issues came to a halt in January 2019. The Centre, which is supposed to hold regular meetings with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state governments to resolve bifurcation issues, did not conduct a meeting for nearly two years after August 2019 and recently held a meeting in April which ended abruptly with no consensus reached on any issue.

Pending promises to Telangana

    Steel factory in Bayyaram
    Railway coach factory in Kazipet
    Tribal University
    Mining University
    National project status to an irrigation project. (The TS government seeks   national status either for Kaleshwaram or Palamuru-Ranga Reddy project)
    Increase in Assembly seats from 119 to 153

Pending promises to AP

    Special category status (not in Act but then PM promised on the floor of the Rajya Sabha)
    Central support for new Capital
    Tribal University
    Central Agricultural University
    Establishment of Durgarajapatnam port, integrated steel plant
    Greenfield crude oil refinery and petrochemical complex
    New railway Zone in Vizag
    Metro Rail for Vizag and Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali
    Petroleum Cmplex in Kakinada
    Expansion of Vizag, Vijayawada and Tirupati airports to international standards
    Increase in seats in Legislative Assembly from 175 to 225