Andhra Pradesh takes its disputes with Telangana to Prez

A delegation of Andhra Pradesh ministers today met President Pranab Mukherjee and sought his intervention in resolving a host of disputes with Telangana, whose Government they alleged, has adopted unhelpful attitude with regard to affairs of the common capital of Hyderabad.
"We told him about Section 8 (of Andhra Pradesh Re- organisation Act). How it is being neglected by Telangana Government and how it is leading to trouble for us," Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K E Krishna Murthy, who led the delegation of Ministers, told reporters.
Section 8 of the Act confers special powers to the Governor on law and order in Hyderabad, the common capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 10 years.

Alleging that Telangana Government indulged in phone tapping and acted unilaterally in the common capital, the Andhra Pradesh Government has been seeking implementation of the Section 8, a demand staunchly opposed by Telangana government.
The delegation of Ministers told the President about alleged tapping of phones of its top functionaries, State Labour Minister K Atchannaidu said.
The President is here for a customary southern sojourn that began on June 29. Mukherjee is staying at the Rashtrapati Nilayam, one of the Presidential Retreats.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary I Y R Krishna Rao also met the President and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention in resolving the disputes arising out of AP's bifurcation and creation of Telangana last year.

"It is to bring to the kind notice of Honourable President of India that the process of bifurcation was done in haste without anticipating the post-bifurcation problems and setting up a proper Institutional Mechanism to resolve these issues.
"This is leading to a lot of avoidable friction between both these new States and most of the times the issues are being settled without any legal basis," he said.
"Since most of institutions are located in Hyderabad, which as per the Act, has become part of Telangana, the Telangana Government is taking advantage of their locational existence," the Chief Secretary said in his memorandum.

Stating that the Telangana Government is claiming ownership of these institutions in view of their location at Hyderabad, he sought maintaining 'status quo ante' at such bodies till disputes related to them are resolved.