Continued from P1

Andhra Pradesh has sought division of assets of certain Schedule X institutions. Telangana has maintained that such claims are not supported by the AP Reorganisation Act, except for continuation of facilities under Section 75. The matter was also pending before the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, Bhatti said. Telangana is seeking resolution through the legal process.

Referring to the Krishna water dispute, the Deputy CM said that Telangana was seeking no special privilege in respect of Krishna waters and the state wanted its fair entitlement through legal mechanisms. Since the allocation of Krishna waters between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh was already under consideration before KWDT-II, the state government was stressing that the matter should be dealt with through the established legal and adjudicatory process, he said.

Bhatti explained the importance of lift irrigation projects and sought central financial support for the Kaleshwaram and Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Schemes. Rehabilitation of Kaleshwaram, revival of the Pranahita-Chevella project at Tummidihetti, and special aid for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift scheme was mentioned in the meeting.

The Deputy CM highlighted that Telangana had adopted an approach of seeking fair, time-bound, and legally sustainable resolution of inter-state issues. He emphasised that cooperation among the southern states will become even more important in the coming years. Bhatti identified the following as challenges that increasingly transcend state boundaries: water security, energy, climate resilience, urbanization, logistics, and economic competitiveness. These challenges will require southern states to cooperate even while they compete. “If southern India grows together, India grows faster,” he observed.