TS alienates 1,261 sq yards of IPM's common property without AP's consent
Vijayawada: Curiously, even before bifurcation of the Institute of Preventive Medicine and its assets along with liabilities between AP and Telangana on a 58:42 ratio, TS has allotted 1,261 square yards of its share of the land to a private educational society.
Officials here were surprised that TS did it without taking the mandatory consent from the AP government.
TS government-issued GO-MS-88 in September, alienating government land of 1,261 square yards at TS-17/2, Block-F, Ward 62 in Nampally village and mandal of Hyderabad district to the Rajabahadur Venkatrama Reddy Educational Society. This was for construction of a girls hostel on a payment of Rs one lakh subject to certain norms and conditions.
As per provisions under Schedule X of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, the Directorate of the Institute of Preventive Medicine located at Narayanaguda in Hyderabad and its assets and liabilities are to be divided on a 58:42 ratio between AP and TS respectively by mutual consent. But, TS acted unilaterally by allotting the land and kept the AP government in the dark, officials said.
It remains to be seen how both the governments would now go about dividing the IPM assets and liabilities.
Another worry is that, even after bifurcation of IPM between the two states, a failure to notify the establishment of the state food laboratory by the AP government is going to cost the state exchequer very dearly.
Sources say AP collects nearly 800 samples of food and blood from its local labs for analysis every month. Once the division is done, these samples are to be sent to IPM of TS by paying Rs 6,000 for each sample for analysis. This would cost the AP exchequer Rs 48 lakh per month.
A delay in notifying the setting up of AP’s state food lab is depriving the state of Rs 10 crore in funds per annum from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Such a fund is given to the states to strengthen their infrastructure and other amenities.
States like Maharashtra that notified the setting up of two to three state food labs are getting huge funds from FSSAI. AP is also unable to launch four mobile labs that can be sent to villages to test food, water and blood samples. An allotment of funds worth Rs10 lakh for their maintenance every year has been earmarked.
As the undivided IPM has funds of Rs14 crore in the form of fixed deposits and licence fee, how this huge amount would be divided between both AP and TS is also worth a watch.
A senior official from the AP IPM said, “A part of the common property of IPM located in Hyderabad was alienated in an unfair manner by TS government without taking the AP government into confidence.”
“Moreover, the AP government should immediately notify the setting up of the state food lab in order to get funds from FSSAI to develop the lab in a big way and ensure expeditious division of the IPM and its assets and liabilities as per a 58:42 ratio. It is also important that AP avoided dependence on TS IPM for analysis of reports from AP by paying huge money,” he said.
