Bifurcation blues: 10 years later, several issues remain unresolved between Andhra Pradesh, Telangana

Hyderabad: It has been ten long years since bifurcation, but several issues such as division of assets, power bill dues, are still unresolved between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana even as Hyderabad would cease to be the common capital of the two states from June 2.

Hyderabad would belong solely to Telangana, according to Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014.

According to official sources, the division of various institutions and corporations, listed in Schedule 9 and Schedule 10 of the Act, between the two states, has not been completed as there was no consensus over several issues.

According to the AP Reorganisation Act, as many as 89 government companies and corporations are listed in the Ninth Schedule.

They include state-run companies and corporations like Andhra Pradesh State Seeds Development Corporation, Andhra Pradesh State Agro Industrial Development Corporation and Andhra Pradesh State Warehousing Corporation.

The 10th Schedule of the Act includes 107 training institutions/centres like AP State Co-operative Union, Environment Protection Training and Research Institute, AP Forest Academy, Centre for Good Governance and Andhra Pradesh Police Academy.

Though an expert committee headed by retired bureaucrat Sheela Bhide gave recommendations on bifurcation of Schedule IX and X institutions, the matter remained unresolved.

The two states have also been caught in a row over payment of dues for supply of power post bifurcation.

Transfer of employees is one of the issues which is waiting for final resolution.

The Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers' Union Central - Hyderabad president M Jagadeeshwar told PTI on Sunday that they submitted a memorandum to Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on May 18 urging the government to bring back the leftover (144) Telangana employees allotted to AP during state bifurcation.

These employees have been working in AP since 2014.

Another example is the disagreement between the two states over assets of the state-run Road Transport Corporation.

A senior official of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) told PTI that AP sought a share in assets of the corporation located in Hyderabad and that the TSRTC has denied and disagreed on it.

The TSRTC feels that these assets belong to it as per the definition of 'headquarters' given by the Sheela Bhide panel.

CM A Revanth Reddy had instructed the officials to settle amicably the pending transfer and repatriation of employees to Andhra Pradesh.

He had told the officials to resolve the issues where there is reconciliation between the two states and to act in such a way to protect the interests of Telangana over other pending matters.

The Telangana government had proposed to conduct a meeting of the state cabinet on May 18 to discuss, among others, the pending issues between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and other related matters.

However, the cabinet meeting could not be held as the requisite nod from Election Commission, in view of the model code of conduct for Lok Sabha elections, was not received till May 18 night.

CM Revanth Reddy has now decided to hold the cabinet meeting after obtaining the EC's approval.

It was fulfilment of a decades-long demand when Telangana came into existence on June 2, 2014 following the passage of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation bill in Parliament in February, 2014, during the previous UPA regime.

Hyderabad has been made the common capital of the two states for a period of 10 years beginning June 2, 2014.

As per the AP Reorganisation Act, the bustling metropolis of Hyderabad, would be the capital of Telangana alone from June 2, 2024.

Though Hyderabad is the common capital for the two states till June 2, 2024, the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat and almost the entire state administration shifted to Amaravati in AP in 2016 when TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu was the chief minister.

Naidu had planned to develop a greenfield world-class capital in Amaravati.

At a review meeting held on May 15 on state bifurcation issues, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy told officials to take over, after June 2, buildings like the Lake View government guest house in Hyderabad which were given to Andhra Pradesh for a period of 10 years.

The row over Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in Delhi was resolved in March this year with the Centre making land allocation to the two states. The Centre had held a meeting with senior officials from both the states in the National Capital in March on bifurcation issues.