The Ministry of Home Affairs will convene a meeting with the Telangana government on February 16 to review the progress of educational institutions/ infrastructural projects in the State as enumerated under Schedule XIII of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
The meeting will be held under the chairmanship of Union Home Secretary and will be attended by all the Ministries/departments concerned with the implementation of educational/infrastructural projects, the Ministry said in its letter to Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari.
The Home Ministry wants the Chief Secretary to attend the meeting herself or nominate an officer well versed with the matter on her behalf. Under the Schedule XIII of the Reorganisation Act, the Centre had assured to set up a tribal university each in the two successor States while Telangana was assured a horticulture university.
The Schedule contains another important provision — establishment of an integrated steel plant in Khammam district. “SAIL shall examine within six months from the appointed day (June 2, 2014) the feasibility of establishing an integrated steel plant in Khammam district in the successor State of Telangana,” the provision in the Reorganisation Act says.
The issue is, however, hanging fire as the Central government subsequently deputed team of officials who said the facility was not economically feasible at Bayyaram in Khammam district where it was proposed to be set up. Several requests made by the State government, including change in the venue, went in vain and the assurance remained unresolved so far.
Schedule XIII mandates that NTPC would establish a 4,000-MW power facility after establishing all coal linkages and also take steps to improve road connectivity in the backward regions of Telangana. The Indian Railways on its part had been asked to examine the feasibility of establishing a rail coach factory in Telangana and improve rail connectivity in the State. The rail coach factory had been set aside subsequently and the Centre had granted a periodic overhauling workshop in place of rail coach factory.
