TS, AP officials discuss ways to resolve bifurcation issues

Hyderabad: A day after the meeting of the two Chief Ministers, top brass of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states on Saturday held an official meeting at Pragathi Bhavan and decided to sort out all bifurcation-related issues on fast track.

The officials arrived at a conclusion to resolve the repatriation of employees to their native states soon. Proposals were also made to the finalization of the transfer of some more buildings owned by the AP government in Hyderabad to the TS government.

The issue of handing over AP Bhavan in Delhi was also discussed at the meeting.

Before the high-level meeting convened by Governor ESL Narasimhan in the first week of July, the officials of both the governments wanted to address some issues which are under their purview.

The TS government has been demanding AP to give up its rights on Bus Bhavan, the headquarters of APSRTC in the erstwhile united AP and also other main buildings like Civil Supplies Corporation and other corporation buildings in Hyderabad.

The officials of the two states have also decided to resolve the issues which are pending before the courts at different levels through dialogue and mutual consent.

The distribution of assets under the 9th and 10th Schedule will also be addressed soon.

More than 1000 Grade 4 employees from Telangana are working in AP. After the bifurcation of Andhra, the employees were shifted to various departments in the AP government.

Some of them had already retired and many are waiting to come back to Telangana. The issue of continuation of nearly 300 AP-born engineers in the services in Telangana Electricity department through court order also figured in the meeting.

Telangana Chief Secretary SK Joshi explained to his AP counterpart LV Subrahmanyam the financial implications on the TS government exchequer by paying salaries to them without any work.

Sources said that the status of bifurcation-related issues pending in the High Court and Supreme Court were also discussed in detail and the two governments will find a solution out of the court soon.