Senior Officials from AP, Telangana Discuss Pending Bilateral Issues in MHA Meet 

New Delhi: Under the chairmanship of Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla a crucial meeting with senior officials of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh was convened on Tuesday. The high-level meeting was called for discussing pending bilateral issues as per Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.

The meeting was held in the Home Ministry which was attended by Telangana Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma along with some higher officials of both the states.

ANI reported that the agenda of the meeting was divided between the discussion on bilateral and other issues. The agenda of the meeting has seven significant issues, like division of companies and corporations, bifurcation of state institutions, apportionment of institutions not mentioned anywhere in the Act, division of Andhra Pradesh State Finance Corporation (APSFC), division of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) and Andhra Pradesh Heavy Machinery Engineering Ltd (APHMEL).

According to reports, the participants from both the Telugu states discussed the definition of Headquarters Telangana State has brought to the notice of MHA that there are court cases pending in High Court of Telangana with respect to certain institutions and till the matter is settled by the court, no further action can be taken. The court cases also with respect to the definition of Head Quarter.

The Home Secretary has directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to examine all the court cases in consultation with the Law Department. 

Andhra Pradesh State has said that Dr Sheela Bhide Committee recommendations have to be accepted in full. It may be noted here that Dr. Sheela Bhide Committee was set up for the bifurcation of assets and liabilities relating to nine Backward Classes (BC) Corporations listed under Schedule IX of the AP Reorganisation Act.

Raising the bifurcation issue of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL), the Government of Andhra Pradesh said they have assets in the successor state of Andhra Pradesh. Telangana State has strongly objected and said that the question of Division of SCCL does not arise as there is a specific provision in the Act transferring the 51 percent of equity to Telangana State completely. Similarly, APHMEL is only a subsidiary company of SCCL and the only division which is to be done is that of equity of the then Andhra Pradesh State. The Home Secretary gave directions to MHA to examine the matter. 

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In the case of Deccan Infrastructure & Land Holdings Ltd. (DILL), Government of Telangana has resumed lands which were unutilized by DILL in 2015. Andhra Pradesh has filed a case in High Court wherein interim stay orders were issued.

The expert committee has recommended for division of these properties treating them as HeadQuarters assets in spite of the objections raised by the Government of Telangana. The Home Secretary has directed the MHA to examine all the court cases in consultation with the Law Department.