Date:31/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/31/stories/2008033154520600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

‘State dumping 60 p.c. budget on Telangana’

Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI: Rayalaseema Rights United Forum has once again upped its ante against the state government for allegedly dumping 60% of its budget on the Telangana districts alone and regretted that the backward Rayalaseema region should suffer such a gross injustice when rather ironically when the top Rayalaseema leaders are at the helm of affairs of the state.

The General Secretary of the Chittoor district unit of the Rayalaseema Hakkula Ikya Vedika (forum), Surya Suresh demanded that the centre should appoint a expert committee for a dispassionate study of the Rayalaseema problems and make recommendations to reverse the trend. In a statement here on Sunday he reiterated the Ikya Vedika’s commitment for an united Andhra Pradesh and made it clear that should the separation of Telangana become inevitable, Rayalaseema must be bifurcated and its legitimate share in the state’s resources must be restored to it. Among the other demands of the Ikaya Vedika are, declaration of Hyderabad as Union Territory if Telangana is to be given separate statehood, scrapping of the ‘controversial 610 GO’, separate High Court Bench for Rayalaseema, second capital of AP somewhere in the Rayalaseema region etc.