Centre apathetic to Seemandhra: Jayaprakash Narayan

It has let down the region, failed to allay its fears

• Seemandhra already faces a huge revenue deficit
• Loss of Hyderabad will worsen the situation further
• Centre did not incorporate any provisions in the Bill
• It neither showed competence nor seriousness

Hyderabad: The Lok Satta Party feels that the Union Cabinet has displayed neither competence and capacity nor seriousness and sincerity in addressing the problems triggered by its decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a media conference here on Saturday, party national president Jayaprakash Narayan said the Andhra Pradesh Re-Organisation Bill cleared by the Union Cabinet was a total disappointment. It had failed to adopt specific, constructive and practicable solutions offered by the Lok Satta Party in its representations.

He said the Centre had let down the people by going back on its promise to incorporate provisions that ensure a bright future for all Telugu-speaking people.

JP said the Bill did not address the huge revenue deficit that the residuary Andhra Pradesh would face consequent to the Hyderabad city becoming part of Telangana.

While Hyderabad city enjoys a revenue surplus of Rs13,000 crore, the residuary Andhra Pradesh has a deficit of Rs 7,000 crore going by 2012-13 data. The deficit is expected to shoot up to more than Rs 10,000 crore in 2014-15. If the Union Government is serious, it should have earmarked funds for at least a decade from the Consolidated Fund of India to the residuary Andhra Pradesh towards meeting its deficit and make a beginning by making allocation in the Vote-on-Account budget to be introduced in Parliament soon.

The Lok Satta, JP recalled, had suggested that backward Rayalaseema and North Coastal Andhra regions should be treated on a par with Special Category States and extended all excise duty and corporate income tax exemptions and provided other incentives like investment and freight subsidies to promote industrialisation. But no such commitment was made in the bill.

The Center should also concede the demand of people of Kurnool and Anantapur districts for their merger with Telangana State and allay their apprehensions over river waters etc. However, the Center had rightly chosen not to merge Bhadrachalam town with residuary Andhra Pradesh in accordance with people’s wishes. “Why doesn’t it extend the same logic and concede the near unanimous demand of Kurnool and Anantapur people and their representatives?” he asked.

JP pointed out that there had been no firm commitment from the Center on improving infrastructure facilities in Andhra Pradesh. It had promised to merely examine or consider all the suggestions relating to development of Ramayapatnam and other ports, establishment of steel plants, setting up of Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor, creation of Visakhapatnam railway zone, development of Metro Rail facilities in Visakhapatnam and Guntur-Tenali-Vijayawada areas, and the establishment of a greenfield oil refinery.

The Union Government was again silent on amending the Constitution to provide safety and security of people in Hyderabad hailing from other region, he added. To a query, JP ruled out any electoral tie-up with the TDP or other traditional parties since all of them believed in politics of dynasty and money power and were equally responsible for the current political mess in the State. He also ruled out Lok Satta’s alliance with AAP.