TIRUPATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asked Telangana to submit a report on the assets to be shared with Andhra Pradesh in a month. The issue of division of assets listed under Schedule IX and X and also the institutions not listed under the AP Reorganisation Act (APRA) came up for discussion in the 29th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council held here on Sunday.
Referring to the interstate disputes with Telangana, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said the legal division of assets, valued at approximately Rs 1,42,601 crore, belonging to institutions listed under Schedules IX and X and also of institutions not mentioned in the APRA, did not happen even after seven years, adversely impacting the State.
Responding, the Telangana delegation led by its Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and senior officials sought two months’ time to prepare a report on the assets to be divided between the two States. Shah, however, intervened and asked Telangana to submit the report in a month.
Addressing the concluding session of the Council meeting, Shah urged the participant States to adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards crime against children and to adhere to the timeframe of 60 days to complete the probe and trial in cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
He asked the CMs to accord priority to addressing the drug menace. He sought the States’ inputs on amending the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act.
Shah asks all States to set up forensic science colleges
Shah also wanted the States to create an independent institution of the Director of Prosecution to expedite prosecutions. “Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative, a National Forensic Science University and a Rashtriya Raksha University have been established. All States should establish at least one forensic science college with the syllabus in the local language so that they can have trained manpower to meet the needs of forensic investigation,” he said.
Shah also assured AP to bear the cost of acquiring land for establishing a training unit for Greyhounds commandos. Stating that India has so far administered 111 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses, Shah said it was an example of cooperative federalism. He added that the Centre would continue to do everything possible to cover all States under the vaccination programme.
Earlier, Jagan also mooted a proposal for a project to draw water from Itchampally on River Godavari to Nagarjunasagar and from there to Srisailam and to Pothireddypadu in the River Krishna basin. Andhra Pradesh objected to Karnataka Chief Minister Basvaraj S Bommai’s demand for a share in the project.
Jagan also raised requests for a no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Defence for the proposed greenfield airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram, the construction of a dam across Palar river and colour-coding of fishing boats from Tamil Nadu. The desilting of Pulicat Lake on the AP side was also taken up.
When the issue of Telangana defaulting on dues to AP Discoms, officials from the neighbouring State said it was AP that had to pay Telangana.
The meeting was attended by the CM of AP, Karnataka and Puducherry, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Basavaraj S Bommai and N Rangaswamy, respectively, and Tamil Nadu’s Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy, Kerala’s Revenue Minister K Rajan and Finance Minister KN Balagopal, Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry Tamilasai Soundarajan.
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