Telugu CMs agree to form committees to resolve issues between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: The Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have decided to form committees to address and resolve issues related to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The decision came after a significant meeting at Praja Bhavan in Hyderabad on Saturday, where they discussed 10 crucial issues over two hours.

The meeting led to the formation of two committees - one comprising ministers and another of officials - to tackle these problems. The Chief Ministers emphasised solutions that protect the interests of both states and considered legal implications while seeking suggestions from officials on unresolved issues.

Representatives from Telangana included Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, Ministers Sridhar Babu and Ponnam Prabhakar, and Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari. Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Ministers Angani Sathyaprasad, BC Janardhan Reddy and Kandula Durgesh, Chief Secretary Nirab Kumar Prasad, and other officials represented Andhra Pradesh.

Key topics discussed included transfers of assets of companies specified in Schedules 9 and 10 of the State Reorganisation Act; Transfers of assets of companies not specified in the Reorganisation Act; Elements of Andhra Pradesh Financial Corporation; Pending electricity bills; Disbursements of debts for 15 projects constructed with foreign loans; Payments for expenditure incurred on joint ventures; Allotment of three buildings in Hyderabad to Andhra Pradesh; Labour cess remittances and matters related to separation of employees.

Both the Chief Ministers agreed that the pending issues should be resolved within a fixed period.

Speaking to media persons after the meeting, Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka informed that the discussions were quite fruitful.

"We discussed issues that have not been resolved in the past ten years," Vikramarka said. While he did not expect all pending matters to be settled in a single meeting, he emphasised that solutions had been identified.

To tackle these issues, a three-member committee comprising senior officials will be established within the next two weeks. This committee would address and resolve several of the ongoing problems.

Additionally, another committee will be formed, consisting of ministers from both states involved. "The solution is at the level of officials, but we will solve the issues at the level of ministers," Vikramarka explained.

Further steps include a follow-up meeting at the Chief Ministers' level to address any unresolved matters from the ministerial discussions.

Both state governments have also agreed to collaborate on controlling anti-narcotic activities and cybercrime. This coordination will be managed at the level of the Additional Directors General (ADG) of both states.