The State government is gearing up to present a strong case in support of its demand for implementation of the assurances given as part of the State bifurcation in the upcoming meeting of the standing committee of the Southern Zonal Council slated in Chennai on May 5.
The Inter-State Council Secretariat of the Union Home Ministry, in its letter, has asked the participants, including Telangana, to update the status of the decisions taken in the last meeting held at Thiruvananthapuram. They have been asked to furnish new items, if any, pertaining to the respective States to be placed before the standing committee for deliberations.
Accordingly, the State has sponsored some of the major issues which are placed in the agenda of the 13th meeting of the Standing Committee. These issues include establishment of integrated steel plant at Bayyaram in Khammam district, inter-State river water sharing and conferment of national project status to Kaleshwaram multi-purpose project.
The State has also flagged the unauthorised projects taken up by neighbouring Karnataka government on river Krishna. Interestingly, Karnataka government too sought discussion on new projects, Palamauru-Rangareddy and Nakkalagandi lift irrigation schemes planned by Telangana envisaging lifting of water from the foreshores of Srisailam reservoir.
With short time remaining to effectively present the State’s view point, the heads of the departments concerned had been asked to submit comprehensive reports on the status of issues pertaining to their respective departments. Senior officials said decision on the composition of the team that will leave for Chennai on Friday would be taken after the receipt of the status reports from the departments concerned.
