Power conflict!
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are at it again. Just when it seemed that most of the differences between the two State governments were settled, a fresh controversy has erupted between them.
This time it is energy charges due by each other that has led to the confrontation. AP Energy Minister Kimidi Kala Venkata Rao initially put the dues payable by Telangana at ₹3,000 crore but officials who briefed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu scaled up the amount to ₹3,800 crore plus a penal fee of ₹400 crore.
The charge was stoutly denied by Telangana government saying the State was was indeed due some amount but it was not so big.
In fact, Telangana demanded from AP dues of ₹1,600 crore, comprising energy charges and debt service for some infrastructure created in Anantapur and Kurnool.
The matters took an ugly turn with AP stopping supply of 1,200 MW to Telangana and 800 MW vice-versa.
Murky dealings
Miyapur lands issue turned murkier each day last week. While the Government’s attempts to swat of the criticism with a fig leaf of an explanation that it was just a notional loss since there was no change of title deed or ownership earned it more ridicule. Into this muddle, came the select leaks to the media about how senior TRS leader K. Kesava Rao was involved in the scam.
As even his ‘loud’ denials did not cut much ice, he had to meekly announce that he was going to backtrack on the deal. Whispers of another former Congressman and senior TRS leader D. Srinivas too mysteriously surfaced giving scope to speculation if this was being done on purpose for securing scapegoats and deflect the issue from powers that be.
Amid all this, the Government has suddenly decided everything was wrong with the Stamps and Registration Department and it needed a thorough revamp.
Revanth hits back
The war of words between the opposition Telugu Desam Party and the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti leaders over the alleged irregularities in land deals has reached a frenzied pitch.
TDP-Telangana working president A. Revanth Reddy, who is in the forefront of criticising the ruling party, claimed that he has substantial proof pertaining to the irregularities in the land deals, particularly the prime lands at Miyapur. He appeared very confident of his assertion when he claimed that he will make public the proofs at an appropriate time after petitioning the issue to the Central Government and the premier investigation agency CBI.
This apparently has prompted the ruling party leaders to deny such claims and severely criticised the Opposition party for its “baseless charges”. There were also reports that they tried to broker peace with him but he would have nothing of it as he had suffered enough at the hands of the government when he was jailed in the cash-for-vote scam.
Reap without effort
Telugu students, rather the corporate colleges, were disappointed not to find anyone in the top 10 of the recently announced JEE-Advanced for entry into the prestigious IITs.
But that did not discourage them to find ways to mislead the parents with the top ranks. The unique way was to find the toppers in the reserved categories and hit the TV screens with literal shouts of taking top ranks of the country.
But parents and those who don’t believe in these mindless rank race say what’s so great about the ranks from these corporate colleges in state-level tests.
When the best students get admitted there where else the rankers will come from. The real calibre of the coaching institutions lie when they take a normal guy and create a ranker!
(N. Rahul, V. Geetanath, M. Rajeev and
R. Ravikanth Reddy)
