Nearly two years after separation, the two Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are still haunted by the post-bifurcation blues.
After wrangling over share of power and water, the two states are now caught in a legal battle over who should control the funds of the public institutions which are under common control as per the bifurcation Act.
At the crux of the dispute is the control over assets of 142 institutions, located in Hyderabad, that were established by the erstwhile combined state of Andhra Pradesh.
The recent judgment of the Supreme Court that the division of assets of autonomous institutions should be based on population and not on their location has boosted AP’s case.
Armed with the apex court’s verdict, the cash-strapped AP is now preparing to lay claim to assets worth thousands of crore in all these 142 institutions to the tune of 58 per cent as per the population ratio.
The assets of the 142 institutions include land, buildings and bank deposits. A majority of these are located in Hyderabad which will serve as the joint capital till 2024 after which it would become permanent capital of Telangana. As per initial estimates, the assets and bank deposits could be worth Rs 30,000 crore.
The dispute over assets started with the Telangana government ordering freezing of accounts of the AP State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) on the grounds that it had ceased to exist after the formation of the Telangana State Council of Higher Education.
The AP Government, headed by N Chandrababu Naidu, moved the high court which, however, upheld the Telangana Government’s decision. Subsequently, Telangana staked claim over 120 government institutions established during the united Andhra regime in Hyderabad and froze all their assets too.
The AP Government then moved the Supreme Court which delivered its landmark judgment last week. It ruled that Telangana cannot claim absolute right over these institutions merely because these are located in its capital Hyderabad, which is geographically a part of Telangana.
Netas caught copying
Three local politicians, including a general secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, were caught red-handed while copying in an examination.
Former Congress legislator and present general secretary of the state Congress committee Mastan Wali, a youth Congress leader SK Jilani and local BJP leader Bhaskar Rao were among those caught during a surprise check at an examination centre in Andhra Christian (AC) College in the coastal city of Guntur.
They were appearing for LLB (first year) exam being conducted by the Nagarjuna University. A three-member squad of the Nagarjuna University caught the political leaders cheating in the paper of legal language and writing and English comprehension.
WB to fund Capital project
For the first time, the World Bank will offer loan for the construction of a new state capital in India. The cash-strapped AP Government has approached the international financial institution for assistance to build Amaravati, its new capital city in the Vijayawada-Guntur region.
The World Bank has agreed to provide a loan of Rs 6,800 crore to develop infrastructure in and around the proposed state capital.
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