Hyderabad: TS and AP states have resumed talks for amicable bifurcation of common institutions listed under Schedule IX and X of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. The two states are at loggerheads over sharing of assets and liabilities of these institutions. TS Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma had convened a meeting in the Secretariat had on Monday to discuss these issues.
The talks assumed significance in the backdrop of recent Supreme Court directions on the AP State Council of Higher Education, which the TS government retained control on the ground that all institutions located on its territory automatically belonged to the state. This was challenged by the AP government in the Supreme Court after the Hyderabad High Court ruled in favour of TS.
The SC reversed the HC directions, stating that geographical location cannot be the sole ground to claim control over these institutions and they should be bifurcated between the two states in proportionate to their population, in the ratio of 52:48 to AP and TS respectively. There are 107 institutions listed under Schedule X, of which 97 are located in TS, mostly in Hyderabad. There are another 89 institutions listed under Schedule IX of AP Reorganisation Act.
All these institutions together have assets worth thousands of crores of rupees in the form of buildings, lands and bank deposits, on which both the governments are staking claim. With Hyderabad being the joint capital of both TS and AP for ten years, the AP government wants joint control of these common institutions till they are bifurcated. The TS government is strongly opposing this. TS has proposed to offer only the services of these institutions to AP but is not ready to share joint control with the state.
