Hyderabad: All eyes are on the first-ever meeting between Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu to be held on Saturday at Praja Bhavan, for finding a solution to unresolved issues between two Telugu states after the bifurcation of the composite state of Andhra Pradesh.
Apart from addressing legacy issues born out of the bifurcation, sources said Revanth Reddy is expected to seek a share in Andhra Pradesh’s 1,000-km coastline for the landlocked Telangana. Similarly, the Telangana government could desire to have a a share in the Krishnapatnam, Machilipatnam, and Gangavaram ports.
Revanth Reddy is also likely to demand the restoration of seven mandals of Khammam district, which the Centre merged with Andhra Pradesh days before the bifurcation came into effect on June 2, 2014.
Revanth Reddy, who recently visited the temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, is likely to press for a role for Telangana in the administration of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
Revanth Reddy could also demand division of Krishna waters in proportion to the catchment area, which will allow Telangana to lay claim for 558 TMC of water.
He is also expected to demand Andhra Pradesh power companies pay their `24,000-crore dues to Telangana power companies immediately and promised to pay AP if Telangana owed anything to it. The AP government claims that Telangana discoms owe it Rs. 7,000 crore.
The meeting between the Chief Ministers of two Telugu states is being held after a gap of four-and-a-half years. The last meeting was held in January 2020 between previous Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and previous AP chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy at the same venue on the same subject.
Major bifurcation issues could not be resolved in the last 10 years due to the political confrontationist stance adopted by the previous BRS regime with neighbouring AP government as well as with the BJP-led government at the Centre.
The agenda includes the division of assets and liabilities, particularly those listed under Schedule 9 and Schedule 10 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
Revanth Reddy has prioritised addressing the pending bifurcation-related issues since assuming office in December 2023. In March this year, the bifurcation dispute concerning the AP Bhavan in Delhi was successfully resolved under his leadership.
Additionally, the disbursement of funds related to the Mining Corporation was settled recently. To date, around 30 meetings have taken place between officials from both states to address various bifurcation disputes.
The Union home ministry has established the Sheela Bhide Committee to oversee the distribution of assets, liabilities, and cash balances of all 91 companies listed in Schedule 9. While 68 of these companies have no objections to distribution, a consensus has not been reached on the remaining 23 institutions.
Similarly, out of the 142 institutions in the Tenth Schedule, there are ongoing disputes over the distribution of 30 institutions, including Telugu Academy, Telugu University, and Ambedkar Open University.
On the agenda
Official sources released some points the TG government wants to raise in Saturday's meeting with AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu
1. The seven mandals in Khammam that were included in Andhra Pradesh through an ordinance should be added back to Telangana.
2. Andhra Pradesh has a vast coastal corridor of 1,000 km. Telangana wants a share of this coastline.
3. Telangana has no ports. Therefore, Telangana should be given a share in the Krishnapatnam, Machilipatnam, and Gangavaram ports in Andhra Pradesh.
4. Tirupati Venkateswara Swamy is the God of the Telugu people. Telangana also wants a share in TTD.
5. There are 811 tmc ft of water available in the Krishna River. According to the international water distribution formula, water allocation should be done in proportion to the catchment area. Therefore, 558 tmc ft of Krishna water should be allocated to Telangana.
6. AP power companies should pay Rs. 24,000 crore in dues to Telangana power companies immediately. If anything is owed to Andhra Pradesh as part of this, they will be paid.
