NEW DELHI: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Monday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and requested him to immediately release Rs 11,713.49 crore for the restoration and repair of infrastructure damaged by the recent heavy rains in the state.
Informing the Union Home Minister about the heavy rains between August 31 and September 8, Reddy said, this severely affected the state claiming 37 lives, with over a lakh livestock and other animals also lost, officials said, adding that the CM also apprised crop loss along with damages to roads, culverts, causeways, tanks, ponds, and canals.
Reddy also reminded the Home Minister that he had previously written a letter on September 2 requesting Rs 5,438 crore for these works, the officials said.
“The CM also informed the Union Home Minister that a central team visited the state and submitted a report on September 30, estimating a damage of Rs 11,713 crore. He highlighted that the funds currently available are insufficient to address the damages and urged for the immediate release of these funds,” a senior state official here said.
Noting that the Centre has released Rs 416.80 crore under the first and second instalments of SDRF for Telangana for the financial year 2024-25, the CM requested that the funds for restoration works should not be tied to the SDRF allocations and assured that SDRF funds for this fiscal year would be fully utilised.
The Chief Minister urged the Home Minister to reinstate Adilabad, Mancherial and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts under the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas, the official said.
“Given that Telangana shares borders with Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh – the states impacted by LWE - the CM stressed the need for enhanced focus on state security. He requested the establishment of CRPF JTF camps in Kondavai village of Charla Mandal, Bhadradri Kothagudem district, and Alubaka village in Venkatapuram Mandal, Mulugu district,” he said.
The Chief Minister also sought the release of Rs 18.31 crore, which has been pending for four years as the central share of SPO payments, and requested the relaxation of norms to accommodate 1,065 personnel in the SPO force.
The Chief Minister is also learnt to have urged Shah to resolve pending issues related to the state’s bifurcation. “He requested efforts to amicably resolve the disputes over government buildings and corporations listed under Schedule 9 and the institutional disputes under Schedule 10. He asked for protection of Telangana’s rights concerning assets and institutions not explicitly mentioned in the bifurcation law but claimed by Andhra Pradesh,” the official said.