Rs 1.62-lakh crore budget passed by the govt. for 2013-14 itself may be in disarray unless a temporary formula is worked out to spend money during the transition period The bifurcation of the State is likely to bring work on several on-going irrigation, infrastructure and power projects to a grinding halt, besides forcing the administration not to take major decisions which may benefit only one region but require aid from the State Consolidated Fund, a common source for the two regions. The Rs 1.62-lakh crore budget passed by the government for 2013-14 itself may be in disarray unless a temporary formula is worked out to spend money during the transition period. “Neither will the government be inclined to decide on any big project, which will involve huge withdrawal from the treasury, nor will it be desirable morally. Status quo is to be maintained at any cost. Although the Cabinet is not subject to any bar legally as yet, it, too, is unlikely to go beyond the regular matters. Routine matters The administration may not dwell on anything beyond the routine matters of various departments and maintenance of law and order,” highly-placed sources said. Several senior IAS officers handling the Jalayagnam programme fear that they may be required to keep the work relating to all projects on hold till a clarification is available on the mode of spending. Exception Nonetheless, Polavaram may turn out to be an exception, for it will be implemented as a national project, and whatever is being spent on it from the State budget will be reimbursed by the Centre. The mega projects that are likely to be hit in Telangana will be the Rs 38,500-crore Pranahita-Chevella, the remaining work of Yellampalli, Dummagudem, Srisailam left bank tunnel project and Kanthanapalli for which the finalisation process of tenders has reached a crucial stage. Much to the fortune of Telangana people, major lift schemes like Devadula, Kalwakurthy, Bhima, Nettempadu and Koilsagar have almost been completed. Similar uncertainty prevails over the spending on umpteen projects in Coastal Andhra (Vamsadhara Stage II, Krishna/Godavari deltas modernisation projects, Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi) and Rayalaseema (Galeru Nagari, Hundri Neeva II and III and the recently launched Somasila high level canal project). HMR may be hit The officials also spoke of threat to the Hyderabad Metro Rail project the work on which has reached a feverish pitch. The other projects that are likely to be hit include half a dozen power projects taken up at various places, particularly those at Krishnapatnam in Nellore district by AP Genco, a common entity to the Telangana and Andhra regions. There is a possibility of the two States seeking constitution of a tribunal to apportion the water available in the Krishna and the Godavari, assured and surplus.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Aug 2013 01:18:26 +0000
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