Hyderabad ceases to be joint capital of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana

Hyderabad: Hyderabad ceased to be the joint capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Sunday (June 2), which marked the 10th formation day of the Telangana state.

Hyderabad has become the exclusive capital of Telangana as the 10-year period as a joint capital, laid down under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014, came to an end.

At the main official ceremony to mark the Telangana formation day, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy declared the period of Hyderabad as joint capital expired on Sunday.

Last month, the Telangana government had decided to take over buildings allotted to Andhra Pradesh in Hyderabad after June 2. Revanth Reddy directed the officials to take over the buildings like the Lake View Guest House which were allotted to Andhra Pradesh for 10 years.

The Chief Minister also announced that the problems relating to the sharing of assets with Andhra Pradesh will be resolved at the earliest.

He said he has decided to place special focus on solving pending issues with Andhra Pradesh under the AP Reorganisation Act. He had asked the officials concerned to prepare a report on all the pending issues related to the division of assets and payment of the debts between the two states after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

In his speech at state formation day celebrations, Revanth Reddy said that Telangana faces a few challenges. He said the state’s share in the waters of the Krishna and Godavari rivers should be decided, as this had not been done for 10 years.

He said the state government would put pressure on the Centre to decide on the legitimate share of Telangana in the waters of the two rivers and implement plans for various irrigation projects accordingly.

Stating that Hyderabad is Telangana’s brand, he wished it rises to become the number one in the world.

The Chief Minister said his government has the resolve to make Telangana an ideal destination for the world. "To realise this goal, we need the cooperation of political, administrative, media, judicial and social institutions besides the blessings of four crore people," he said.

He underlined the need for economic revival to increase the state’s assets and distribute it among the poor. He said when Congress came to power, the state’s economy was in total shambles with total outstanding debts of Rs 7 lakh crore. Revanth Reddy said his government was giving priority to financial discipline without compromising on development. The government is paying salaries to employees and pensions to pensioners on the first of every month, he claimed.

He also shared his plans to see Telangana as a role model for sustainable development in the country. He said the government has decided to divide the state into three zones - Urban Telangana, Sub-Urban Telangana, and Rural Telangana. The government will unveil the Green Telangana-2050 Master Plan, giving details of the nature of development activities to be taken up and infrastructure to be provided in each zone.

Slamming the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for its "autocratic rule" during the last 10 years, Revanth Reddy said the rulers wanted people to lose their freedom in exchange for welfare activity.

Stating that freedom has been part of the Telangana way of life, he said Telangana society would never tolerate bondage. Telangana will endure hunger but not lose freedom, he remarked. He alleged that during the 10 years, Telangana suffered 100 years of destruction.

"Fundamental freedom was under attack. Social justice was denied. The wealth of the state, which should belong to all the people, had gone into the hands of a few. Telangana culture and traditions were destroyed and economic destruction was visible,” he said.

Listing out the works undertaken by the Congress government during the last six months, he claimed that it gave freedom to all sections including journalists and opened doors of administration to the common man.