KCR to seek national tag for Kaleshwaram
Although it is a courtesy call after taking over as chief minister of Telangana for a second consecutive term, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is preparing a wish list to be presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he meets him on Wednesday evening
Hyderabad: Although it is a courtesy call after taking over as chief minister of Telangana for a second consecutive term, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is preparing a wish list to be presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he meets him on Wednesday evening.
After winding up his visit to Odisha and West Bengal, KCR flew to Delhi on Monday night. Tentatively, the PMO fixed Wednesday evening for the meeting between KCR and Modi.
In the meeting, KCR will present the list of the state's demands to the prime minister which includes fulfillment of the promises made in AP State Reorganization Act, 2014, according national status to Kaleshwaram project, allotment of defence land for the proposed new secretariat and division of assets between two sibling states.
In the capacity of chief minister, KCR met Modi thrice in the last three years and requested him to fulfill the assurances and the demands. Except giving a nod to the new zonal system and setting up of the AIIMS hospitals, the Union government has kept the state demands in cold storage.
The fulfillment of demands mainly the division of assets between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, establishment of Bayyaram steel plant, Horticulture and Tribal universities are still pending with the Centre.
The Telangana state government’s demand to earmark special funds under Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bhagiratha schemes are yet to materialise though they had received accolades at national level. Sources said that KCR will draw the prime minister's attention to these demands and seek his intervention to realise them before going to general elections in April 2019.
State Special Advisor Rajiv Sharma is already in New Delhi and has prepared a report on the status of each pending issue before the Centre. Based on the report, KCR will prepare a note and submit it to the prime minister. Officials said that KCR government is making all-out efforts to get clearances for the allotment of defence land and establishment of Tribal and Horticulture universities.
It is learnt that the TRS leaders are already making arrangement for a meeting for KCR with BSP leader Mayawati and SP leader Akilesh yadav during the CM’s stay in New Delhi. If all goes as planned, the TRS chief will meet the SP and BSP leaders on Wednesday morning, sources said.
