HYDERABAD: The three-member committees of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh state governments met at the Raj Bhavan here on Wednesday in the presence of governor ESL Narasimhan in a bid to resolve the contentious issues with mutual cooperation.
It was the first of meetings initiated by the governor to settle issues that have been vexing the two states for two-and-a-half years since bifurcation.
Both states agreed to send their issues to the governor’s office for it to prepare the agenda for the next meeting scheduled to be held in Hyderabad on February 9.
Issues include division of assets listed in Schedules IX and X, High Court, employees and all other issues arising out of AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. “We cannot resolve all issues in a single meeting. Once the agenda is ready, we will thrash out two to three issues in each meeting,” TS government’s advisor (inter- state affairs) G Vivek said after the meeting.
“A lot of issues are pending. TS has some issues and AP has some. Both the states have decided to resolve them amicably,” AP finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said, adding that the states would send their issues to the governor this week, following which the governor’s office will prepare an agenda for the meetings.
“Instead of approaching the courts and depending on officers, both the states have decided to settle the pending issues in a friendly atmosphere. The first two meetings would be held in Hyderabad and the next two in Amaravati. We did not discuss any particular issue today,” Ramakrishnudu said.
TS irrigation minister T Harish Rao said the next meeting would be held in Hyderabad at 4 pm on Feb 9. “We have decided to resolve the matters in a cordial manner and decided to protect the interests of the both the states,” he said.