Telangana Home and Labour Minister Nayini Narasimha Reddy has threatened legal action against the Andhra Pradesh government if funds diverted from the account of Andhra Pradesh building and other construction workers welfare board were not returned to the Telangana government.
At a press conference here on Friday, Mr. Reddy said Telangana was entitled to Rs. 610 crore out of Rs. 1,052 crore in the account but the money was clandestinely transferred to accounts in Vijayawada. It was a desperate act of the AP government to make a fast buck.
The account of the AP board had a huge bank balance mainly because of higher constructions and payment of cess by builders in Telangana. The money rightfully belonged to workers of Telangana who toiled hard.
Mr. Reddy accused the Commissioner of Labour of AP, Ramanjaneyulu, and the board secretary, P.V. Muralisagar, of giving letters to banks authorising the transfer of money. He said he had spoken to Mr. Muralisagar over the phone thrice to warn him against doing such a thing but he went ahead.
Asserting that not a rupee belonging to Telangana would be allowed to be transferred to the AP account, the Minister said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had now set his eyes on the finances of Telangana after having ditched it on the power and water fronts. Mr. Naidu resorted to shortcut methods to mop up resources as the AP government was faced with a financial crisis. This was despite a brotherly relationship sought to be maintained by Telangana.
Cases liftedMr. Reddy said he signed another file today lifting 433 criminal cases booked during the separate Telangana struggle. With this, a total of 1,033 cases were scrapped. The file that he signed today included about 300 cases in Hyderabad, he added.
