Raise SCS, Polavaram, CM tells officials

Vijayawada: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday held discussions with chief secretary Dr KS Jawahar Reddy and other top officials on the issues to be raised at a meeting with the Union home secretary in New Delhi on the 13th Schedule of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The meeting will take place on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister told them to raise the issues of pending funds to the Polavaram project, Special Category Status to the state and non-payment of power bill arrears from Telangana, among others.

Pointing out that several promises made in the 13th Schedule remained unresolved even after 10 years of bifurcation, he said that injustice was done to the state with the Centre allotting 58 percent of the debts and 42 per cent in revenues to Andhra Pradesh while allotting 58 per cent revenues to Telangana. He told the officials that several assurances were given to the residual state in the bifurcation Act as it would suffer heavily with Hyderabad city, equipped with all basic infrastructures like roads, educational institutions and industries, going to Telangana. However, the assurances remained on paper only as on date, he said, asking the officials to raise the issue and suggest that the Centre should pay extra attention towards the state and expedite the bifurcation promises so that it will march ahead.

As three capitals are announced for decentralised development of the state, he directed the officials seek the financial support of the Centre for construction of the roads and development of other infrastructure.

He told the officials to remind the Centre that it had given assurance on the Kadapa Steel Plant and Duggarajapatnam port and put pressure on it for the fulfilment of the promises. Visakha railway zone issue should also be raised in the meeting besides seeking to expedite the establishment of Central Agricultural University as sought by the State and build high speed rail corridor linking Visakhapatnam and Kadapa via Kurnool, he said. He asked the officials to specially raise the issue of Bhogapuram airport being built as a replacement to Vizag airport which is facing hurdles in civil aviation due to the Eastern Naval Command activity.

He told them to seek funds for laying the highway between Visakhapatnam and Bhogapuram airport and fulfilling the promise of upgrading Vijayawada, Tirupati and Vizaj airports as international airports. Raising the issue of Visakha metro rail, the Chief Minister told the officials to seek 40 per cent of the funds from the Centre for acquiring the land and construction of the project as private promoters have come forward to bear 60 per cent of the cost. He said that officials should also raise the pending issue of division of properties in various banks between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.