Telangana, Andhra Chief Ministers Meet For The 1st Time In 4 Years

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments on Saturday decided to constitute a high-level committee to resolve post-bifurcation issues.

The decision was taken at a meeting between Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu.

A nearly two-hour-long meeting at Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Praja Bhavan between the delegations of the two states led by the chief ministers and comprising ministers and senior officials discussed the issues pending for the last 10 years.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka told the media after the meeting that it was decided to constitute a high-level committee comprising senior officials. The panel will be constituted in two weeks.

The issues which can't be resolved by the committee of officials will be referred to a committee of ministers. He said if the committee of ministers also fails to find a solution, another meeting of the chief ministers will be held to resolve them.

Vikramarka said the two states discussed the issues which remained unresolved even 10 years after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. They decided to discuss and resolve the pending issues.

Both the state governments agreed to work together to check drugs and cybercrimes.

Andhra Pradesh minister A. Satyaprasad said that it was a day hailed by all Telugu-speaking people. He said Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had sent a letter to his Telangana counterpart to resolve issues arising out of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014.

The minister said both the chief ministers thoroughly discussed the issue after taking suggestions from all.

Asserting that Telangana state was formed after a massive movement, he said decisions were taken for the good of all. Both the chief ministers agreed to meet again to discuss the issues.

He mentioned that Andhra Pradesh has already formed a Cabinet Sub-Committee on drug control. He said additional directors general of both states will monitor the activities to check the menace of drugs.

Telangana CM, Deputy CM, some ministers, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari and senior officials were also attending the meeting on behalf of Telangana.

The Andhra Pradesh delegation led by Chandrababu Naidu includes ministers Kandula Durgesh, A. Satyaprasad, BC Janardhan Reddy, Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Pradesh and senior officials.

This is the first meeting between the chief ministers of the Telugu states in four years. Chandrababu Naidu, who assumed the office of the chief minister last month, had proposed the meeting on July 1 to amicably resolve the pending issues and the next day Revanth Reddy accepted the proposal and invited him to Hyderabad.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)