The meeting of the top officials of the two Telugu States — Telangana and Andhra Pradesh — appears unlikely any time soon.
The Telangana administration has focused its entire attention on checking the spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) with Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar busy in continuous interaction with officials concerned and monitoring the remedial measures that are being taken at different levels. The neighbouring AP on its part is working out modalities for resuming the process for elections to local bodies which had been set aside by its State Election Commission amid COVID-19 concerns while it too had enhanced its preparations to counter the threat posed by the coronavirus.
The chief secretaries of the two States — Somesh Kumar and Nilam Sawhney — met on January 30 and held elaborate discussions for close to six hours. The meeting, though conducted in a positive atmosphere, ended inconclusively as the two could not arrive at a consensus on the key reorganization issues. But the officials on the two sides resolved to continue the dialogue as it was the only way to resolve the vexatious issues which had been pending since last six years.
Bhide Committee
The two sides, according to officials, had locked horns over the recommendations of the expert committee headed by retired bureaucrat Sheela Bhide relating to apportionment of assets and liabilities of 89 out of the 91 institutions listed under Schedule IX of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. The Telangana government had expressed its reservations against the apportionment by the expert committee claiming that the manner in which it was made was “unilateral” and against the interests of the State.
The AP government had prepared the minutes of the January 30 meeting and circulated it to the TS government few weeks ago, but the latter has reportedly not examined the same. “The minutes of the meeting should be studied in detail so that there is clarity about the issues on which there is mutual agreement and the issues where differences still persist. Close examination of the minutes of the meeting helps in chalking out the agenda for the next meeting whenever it is held,” a senior official told The Hindu .
Officials opine that the next meeting between the two States is likely to be held only after addressing the concerns relating to COVID-19 fully and the two States would require time towards this end.
