VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed officials to ensure key issues pertaining to Andhra Pradesh, including unresolved issues of State bifurcation are taken up for discussion at the Southern Zonal Council (SZC) meeting slated to be held at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on September 3.
Holding a preparatory meeting with the officials to discuss the agenda for the SZC meeting on Monday, the Chief Minister said he is not attending the meeting due to the death anniversary of his father YS Rajasekhara Reddy and a delegation, led by Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath, will attend the meet. The officials have placed 19 items on the State’s agenda at the SZC meeting.
Jagan opined that there is a need to demand the setting up of a system to address and resolve the bifurcation issues, besides ensuring implementation of the decisions taken at the meeting. Andhra Pradesh had suffered a lot financially after losing a city like Hyderabad in bifurcation.
“The State is suffering more due to the delay in resolving the bifurcation issues,” he said.
Further, he instructed the officials to raise the Polavaram issue at the meeting and urge the Centre to release adequate funds for its completion at the earliest. The same issues were also raised at the previous SZC meeting held in Tirupati. Though assurance was given to pursue the issues raised, there has been no concrete development.
Once again those issues will be brought to the fore at the SZC meeting. It may be mentioned that all the issues were also taken to the notice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers by the Chief Minister more than a couple of times.
The preparatory meeting was attended by Ministers Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and Buggana Rajendranath, Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma, Agriculture Department Special CS Poonam Malakondaiah, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department Special CS Y Srilakshmi, Energy Department Special CS K Vijayanand, Finance Department Special CS SS Rawat, Industries Department Special CS Karikal Valaven, Principal Secretary of Transport MT Krishna Babu and others.
CABINET MEET POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER 7
The Council of Ministers meeting scheduled to be held on September 1, has been postponed to September 7. Informing about the postponement of the Cabinet meeting, Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma on Monday directed all Special Chief Secretaries/Principal Secretaries /Secretaries to make note of the change in date and time of the meeting. He directed them to send proposals to GA (Cabinet) Department by 4 pm on September 2 seeking Cabinet approval.