Centre assures Naidu on commitments to Seemandhra

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday assured Chief Minister-designate N Chandrababu Naidu that all commitments made to residual Andhra Pradesh will be fulfilled. "The Centre has promised to fulfil all commitments made to Seemandhra. We have already started working," Jaitley told media persons after meeting Naidu.

The Telugu Desam Party leader met Jaitley as part of series of meetings with central ministers in the national capital to discuss the requirements of Andhra Pradesh post bifurcation.

"The Government of India had, at that time, announced a special package for Seemandhra and industrial incentives for Seemandhra and Telangana. For all these things, they have to issue GOs and take Cabinet decisions also," Naidu said.

The chief minister-designate said that he had sought incentives and financial assistance to bring both the states, Seemandhra and Telangana, on par. Later, Naidu also called on Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti and sought speedy implementation of the

Polavaram multi-purpose project, amid controversy over his Telangana counterpart and TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao opposing the transfer some villages from Khammam district to Seemandhra for executing the project.

Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh was also present at the meeting with Bharti. Briefing media persons after the meeting, Bharti said, "There are certain issues raised by the Chief Minister on Polavaram.

"The Government of India and our prime minister are concerned about these issues.... We will act accordingly." To a question, Naidu said that he had raised various issues including irrigation and water supply required for building the new capital for Seemandhra.

"At the same time, for the new capital, we have to allocate water. We have requested the Government of India to allocate water on the lines of Chennai and Hyderabad in the past," he added. On issuance of ordinance, paving way for transfer of villages from Telangana to Seemandhra, Naidu clarified that the ordinance was issued by the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.