India News | Centre Convenes Meet to Discuss AP Issues

Amaravati, Sep 4 (PTI): The Centre has convened a meeting on September 6 with the Andhra Pradesh government to review various long-pending Centre-State Coordination issues, particularly those listed in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Issues related to departments like Steel, Water Resources, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Civil Aviation, Environment and Forests, Industry and Internal Trade and Defence Research and Development will be reviewed through a videoconference at 3.30 pm on Monday, the Union Cabinet Secretariat informed the state government.

Also Read | IBPS Office Assistant Prelims Result 2021 Released, Candidates Can Check Their Results Online at ibps.in.

Though more than seven years have elapsed since the bifurcation of the Andhra Pradesh, many major promises incorporated in the Act have not been fulfilled yet.

Prime among them are the setting up of an integrated steel plant in Kadapa district and a greenfield crude oil refinery and petrochemical complex (in Kakinada).

Also Read | Mumbai Shocker: 10-Month- Old Infant Abducted by Woman, Sold for Rs 1.50 Lakh.

These two are among 13 issues that will be taken up for review in Monday's meeting.

There are many other issues that have not made any headway in the last seven years, despite repeated representations to the Centre by successive governments.

"This is the first time the Centre is convening such a high-level official meeting to discuss the long-pending issues. Hopefully, something comes out of it at least now," a top government official here said.

Interestingly, the issue of setting up a new port in the state has not been listed in the Monday meeting's agenda, though it is also a promise made in the Act.

Conducting a public hearing in neighbouring Odisha and Chhattisgarh related to the Polavaram multi-purpose project, rescinding the stop-work order on the Polavaram project, setting up of a Petroleum University (in Visakhapatnam), developing the Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor, expanding the airports in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati to international standards are some of the other issues that will come up for review, according to the Cabinet Secretariat's letter.

The issue related to acquisition of land by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory, Visakhapatnam, for house plots, illegal constructions in Madhavadhara village near Visakhapatnam, construction of road through NSTL connecting NH-16 and Gopalapatnam and handing over equivalent land to NSTL are also listed in the agenda.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)