There is no end in sight to the disputes and controversies between the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Even as the issue of Eamcet Engineering Counselling has reached a boiling point with the Andhra Pradesh Government pressing ahead with the counseling and Telangana Government giving a call to the local students to boycott the same, the two also clashed over the issue of levy tax on motor vehicles and repairs to the historic building of the State Assembly in Hyderabad.
Another problem creating a bad blood was the allocation of quarters to the MlAs of Andhra Pradesh in Hyderabad.
Issuance of notification by the Andhra Pradesh Government for engineering counseling on Wednesday has evoked a strong reaction from the Telangana Government. State Education Minister, G Jagadishwar Reddy has asked the Telangana students to simply ignore the notification of the AP Government and has also said that the State Government will take care of their interest.
“Telangana Government’s orders would be final as far as the admission in engineering colleges in Telagnana is concerned. Students need not worry about it”, he said.
lashing out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu and AP State Council of Higher Education Chairman l Venugopala Reddy, Jagdishwar Reddy said that they were trying to confuse the students of Telangana and also harm the interest of Andhra Pradesh.
Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee leaders have also warned the AP Government that they will not allow the counseling process to start in Telangana without settling the issue of nativity.
JAC leaders P Ravi and Balaraju said that the Andhra Pradesh Government was conspiring to harm the students of Telangana. “How can they issue notification before the Supreme Court gives its verdict on petitions pending before it”, they asked. “Venugopala Reddy is taking arbitrary decisions like a member of Andhra Intellectual Forum”, Ravi alleged.
The Committee leaders advised the Telangana students to choose only Telangna colleges for admission. In view of the serious differences with Telangana, APSCHE has decided to implead before the Supreme Court today. The decision was taken in a meeting of Venugopala Reddy with the AP Chief Secretary IYR Krishna Rao on Thursday.
AP Minister for Social Welfare, R Kishore Babu said that his Government will also challenge before the Supreme Court, the decision of the Telangana Government to replace the fee reimbursement scheme with Financial Assistance to Students of Telangana (FAST). Under the changed scheme, the Telangana Government has decided to extend financial assistance only to the native students and not to the students of other States including Andhra Pradesh.
AP Government was demanding that the Telangana Government should reimburse the fee of all the students studying in Telangana colleges.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has set up a committee to formulate the guidelines for the implementation of FAST.
Meanwhile, on the issue of Motor Vehicle Tax, AP Government had a sigh of relief as the State High Court stayed Telangana Government’s move of impose tax on vehicles coming from Andhra Pradesh.
The High Court asked both the States to honor the GO No 43 promulgated by the SMV tax paid in one of the States will deemed to have been paid for both the States. This arrangement will continue till March 31, 2015 Court said.
The two States were also tangled in cross hair over the issue of the State Assembly, which is a heritage structure. While, Andhra Pradesh Assembly employees tried to undertake repair works in the building, their Telangana
counterparts led by S Ramalinga Reddy, Chairman, MlA Quarters Allotment Committee objected and stopped the work. They argued that the Assembly building was a heritage structure built by Nizams and no body can be allowed to disfigure it.
Reddy also argued that under the AP Reorgansation Act, the building has been given to Andhra Pradesh on a temporary basis and they cant claim ownership and make alterations.
The dispute has also escalated in to a fight over the allotment of quarters to MlAs. Ramalinga Reddy has asked the Andhra Pradesh Assembly to vacate quarters, which were allotted to Telangana legislators. He warned them that if they don’t move out, the electricity and water supply to the quarters will be disconnected. His grouse was that AP MlAs were staying in their quarters despite having their own quarters.
Earlier, the Andhra Pradesh Government had also served a similar notice to Telangana MlAs to vacate quarters allotted to their MlAs.It is obvious that every issue, major or minor , was increasing the gulf between the two State Governments which share a common capital and many infrastructures of the city.