Unfulfilled commitments from bifurcation hurting Andhra Pradesh: CM Reddy to Centre

Telangana was separated from Andhra Pradesh in 2014 under the Congress led UPA-2 government, with Hyderabad given to the new state

Andhra Pradesh continues to face immense economic hardships and deprivation because of the unfulfilled commitments, Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy complained to the Narendra Modi government at the Southern Zonal Council meeting on Sunday.

The 29th edition of the Centre and the south states' meeting was held at Tirupati, under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and attended by Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and others.

“Even after seven years of bifurcation, a majority of the commitments remain unfulfilled and Andhra Pradesh continues to face immense economic hardships and deprivation,” Reddy said while seeking the Centre's earnestness in keeping up the promises made during the bifurcation, both in the AP Reorganisation Act 2014 and the floor of Parliament.

Telangana was separated from Andhra Pradesh in 2014 under the Congress led UPA-2 government, with the growth engine of the united state - Hyderabad - given to the new state. In the ensuing elections, the BJP led NDA came to power.

Previous CM Chandrababu Naidu and now Reddy have been pursuing the centre to honor assurances like the Special Category Status for AP and funding of the Polavaram project.

SCS, to support the truncated state's industrial and overall growth, even became an issue in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh polls. The TDP had exited the NDA government and parted ways with the BJP in 2018 after the Modi administration refused to accord SCS.

Though the YSRCP managed to win 22 Lok Sabha seats out of 25 from Andhra Pradesh and also formed the government in the state, Reddy had on few occasions admitted that he “is unable to prevail upon the Centre for SCS.”

“We are in a helpless position as the BJP led government has complete majority in the Lok Sabha. We cannot do much except for repeatedly pleading for the SCS,” Reddy had said earlier.

On Sunday, CM Reddy sought full funding for Polavaram and completion of the national project “by the Government of India in line with the letter and spirit of the provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.”

Reddy also reiterated the request to accord SCS to the state, while explaining the state's financial situation.

“The total resource gap for the first financial year after the state bifurcation is Rs 22,948.76 crore. The centre has subsequently introduced a new concept of “Standardised Expenditure” and conveyed that their liability to compensate the state is only to tune of Rs 4,117.89 crore,” Reddy said while asking for a revisit of the matter to find a suitable solution at the earliest.

The AP CM wants the union government’s intervention for settlement of the power dues between the state and Telangana. Rs 6,112 crore is receivable by Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Limited from the Telangana distribution utilities.

Reddy has also requested the centre to fulfill other assurances like completion of eight infrastructure projects, full-fledged establishment of 11 institutions of national importance under Schedule XIII of the Act by 2024, sanction of special development package for backward districts on the lines of Bundelkhand and legal division of assets (between the two states) approximately valued at Rs 1,42,601 crore pertaining to institutions listed under Schedules IX and X and of institutions not mentioned in the Act.

The Chief Minister said that AP government has been supplying water as and when requested by Tamil Nadu government to meet the drinking water needs of Chennai but the dues are pending for a decade now.

"Of the compensation required to be paid for infrastructure and cost associated with operation and maintenance (of the Telugu-Ganga project), Rs 338.48 crore has been pending for the past 10 years,” Reddy mentioned while wanting a speedy settlement.

The Chief Minister said that Tamil Nadu government is opposing Palar project while only 0.6 TMC of water will be stored to provide drinking water to Kuppum. He sought the Centre's intervention to settle the long unresolved matter.

Reddy observed that the Centre's “unprecedented move of reducing the state's borrowing limit to adjust for the so called over borrowing pertaining to five-year period of the previous government, and especially during the time of pain and suffering caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, would debilitate the fiscal health of AP.”

The Chief Minister has requested wider coverage of Andhra Pradesh population under the National Food Security Act Targeted Public Distribution System, by correcting the anomalies in poverty calculations.

AP hosted the meeting which was earlier planned in March. Zonal council meetings are intended for a better Centre-states co-operation, and to build a conducive environment amongst the states for speedy execution of interstate etc., development projects.

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