Telangana, AP agree on Godavari, asset timeline

Hyderabad: Chief Ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday decided to pursue a give-and-take policy in all matters for the larger benefit of the people of the two states. They decided unanimously to supply Godavari waters to the Krishna river basin and to resolve all issues regarding assets and liabilities under the 9th and 10th Schedules of the AP Reorganisation Act as early as possible.

Mr Reddy arrived at Pragathi Bhavan on Monday afternoon where Mr Rao accorded him a warm welcome. They had lunch and then held a six-hour discussion with officials on issues of mutual interest as well as on the national political situation. The meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere and in a spirit of mutual cooperation.

There was a lengthy discussion on the diversion of the Godavari water to the Krishna basin. Water availability in the Krishna is not uniform every year. On several occasions there has been no water available in the Krishna at all. As a result farmers in Rayala-seema in AP and in Ma-habbnagar and Nalgonda districts in TS incur losses as the crops do not get the required water.

It was therefore decided that water from the Godavari river be diverted to the Krishna basin when required. By utilising the Nagarjunasagar and Srisailam projects, the Godavari water can be diverted to the Krish-na with less expense, the two CMs decided.

Officials to sort out asset division
Mr Rao and Mr Reddy also decided to discuss in depth from where water from the Godavari should be diverted and to where, and related issues, in their next meeting.

There are also issues in the ninth and tenth Schedules under the bifurcation Act which can be solved quite easily with mutual cooperation and proper awareness, the CMs observed. The chief secretaries of both the states have been told to meet and solve issues under the two Schedules.

At the high-profile meeting, the ongoing controversy on the proposal of three capitals for Andhra Pradesh also came up for discussion.

When Mr Rao raised the matter, Mr Reddy reportedly explained his views.

Mr Reddy said that in his opinion, AP must have three capitals for decentralisation of administration and for the development of all regions. Amaravati will remain the legislative capital, Kurnool will be the judicial capital and Visakhapatnam the executive capital. Mr Reddy said all reports will be discussed in the Assembly before a final decision is made. He also said that he is considering bringing in new legislation on decentralisation and equal development of all regions.

Meanwhile, as the bonhomie shared by the two Telugu chief ministers remained intact, political observers were amused to see that the camaraderie extended to the sartorial tastes of the leaders.

Mr Reddy has taken to wearing a white shirt and khaki-coloured trousers, while TRS working president and minister K.T. Rama Rao too wore a similar dress.  As they walked into Pragathi Bhavan, photographers jostled to capture the image. Within minutes, the photograph has been circulated on social media. Someone commented that it should be captioned ‘Would-be CM of Telangana with AP CM.’