The 30 th meeting of the southern zonal council will be held at Thiruvananthapuram on September 3.
The Union Home Ministry which constituted the Southern Zonal Council to resolve the issues faced by different States in the south including Telangana has informed the State Government about the meeting in a letter addressed to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar recently. The Union Ministry has asked the Chief Secretary as well as members and advisers of the council from the State to attend the meeting to represent issues pertaining to Telangana during the meeting.
The Ministry said agenda notes for the meeting were being finalised for which inputs on various items were being sought from the States and Union Territories and Central Ministries and departments. The State has several pending issues that remained unaddressed since the past few years.
In addition to promises made in the State Reorganisation Act like setting up of steel factory at Bayyaram in Khammam and rail coach factory in Warangal, the State has demanded that steps be initiated for reimbursement of amount from AP Government towards expenditure incurred in respect of common institutions.
Protection of the Telangana territory from submergence effect of Polavaram project and share of Telangana from diversion of Godavari water to Krishna through Polavaram and Pattiseema projects as per tribunal orders has been one of the major demands of the State. It had also registered its objections relating to unauthorised projects taken up by Karnataka across Krishna as well as some projects taken up by AP.
The State’s demand for conferment of national status for Kaleshwaram and Palamuru Rangareddy lift irrigation schemes too remained unfulfilled thus far. Senior officials have decided to mount pressure on the Southern Zonal Council to fulfil the assurances given to Telangana as part of the State Reorganisation Act as they would go a long way in achieving accelerated development of the State.
“We are looking for responses from different departments so that the representations can be included in the agenda of the meeting,” a senior official told The Hindu.
