AP to hand over buildings in Hyderabad to Telangana.

Governor ESL Narasimhan has ordered the handover of all but two government buildings in possession of the Andhra Pradesh government in Hyderabad to Telangana.

The move comes within days of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy assuming office as Chief Minister after a resounding electoral victory and recent talks with his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao. The Telangana Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao passed a resolution on Sunday, requesting the Governor to prevail upon AP government to hand over the buildings which were in the possession of AP, but not being used. Later in the evening, the Governor taking on record the request made by Telangana and the resolutions, called upon it to waive all outstanding claims of property tax and other charges on AP and allocated them to Telangana.

Sevaral buildings in Hyderabad, including some of the buildings in State Secretariat were transferred to AP after the bifurcation of the State based on the AP Reorganisation Act. AP was entitled to have possession of these properties till 2024, as Hyderabad could serve as a capital of both States till then.

However, with the Chandrababu Naidu government shifting its base to Amaravati more than a year ago, these unused buildings remained in the possession of AP. The AP government may be allotted a building to accommodate its police establishment and another for other administrative requirements in Hyderabad. The Governor’s order came after Rao met him and handed over the resolution passed by the Council of Ministers earlier in the day. After the bifurcation of AP in 2014, the assets were allocated in the population ratio of 52:48 to AP and TS. With the AP Capital now in Amaravati, and change of government, the process of handing over assets passed off smoothly. Later, in a statement, Rao hoped that both the State governments would work in tandem keeping in mind the realities on the ground. “My aim and ambition is to see both the States develop with its people living in peace and prosperity and all issues between the States be resolved amicably,” he said.

HBL