Andhra Pradesh Government will give primacy to resolving issues pertaining to the state bifurcation and irrigation projects in the State in the ensuing Southern Zonal Council (SZC) meet scheduled to be held on September 3, 2022 in Thiruvananthapuram.

According to officials, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed the state delegation to be led by Minister for Finance, Buggana Rajendranath to the SCA to highlight financial difficulties to the State since its bifurcation in 2014 and irrigation projects, among others. 

Polavaram Project

Issues like dues amounting to ₹6,756 crore to be paid by Telangana on account of power  and revised estimates for Polavaram Project will be highlighted by the delegation, among others.

The State Government has been maintaining that Andhra Pradesh had suffered a lot financially after losing a city like Hyderabad and issues  continue to delay the resolution of the bifurcation issues. Another major issue has been the completion of the Polavaram project which has both financial and political implications for the State Government. 

In his recent visit to New Delhi, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reimburse ₹2900 crore spent by the State government on the Polavaram project and to provide ₹10,000 crore on ad hoc basis. 

Funds on ad hoc basis

Reddy, who is on tour in the national capital, called on the Prime Minister at his residence on Monday and urged him to approve the revised cost estimates of ₹55,548 crore for the Polavaram project which has been approved by the Technical Advisory Committee already. Further, the CM asked Modi to provide ₹10,000 crore on an ad hoc basis so that the construction works of the project can proceed smoothly.

He also appealed to implement the relief and rehabilitation package to the displaced families in DBT mode to ensure transparency. The State Government has also been requesting the Centre to release funds of ₹32,625 crore under Resource Gap Fund for various pending bills under 10th Pay Commission, including social security pensions and others during the period 2014-15.