KCR wants AP Bhavan transferred to Telangana
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday wrote to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking transfer of the entire land in possession of AP Bhavan in New Delhi to the Telangana government as it belonged to the erstwhile State of Hyderabad.
The Andhra Pradesh government may be allotted some other land in New Delhi to set up its State Bhavan and Resident Commissioner’s office, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao wrote in the letter. Since only the buildings at this site were constructed with the common resources of Andhra Pradesh, the government of Telangana would compensate Andhra Pradesh to the extent of its share in the book value of these buildings in the ratio of population fixed for the two States, the letter stated.
Mr. Rao requested early action in the matter as the Telangana government wanted to start soon construction of Telangana Bhavan in a systematic and planned manner with adequate facilities, including a cultural centre for the people of Telangana living in the capital.
He argued that the prestigious Hyderabad House and, now, AP and Telangana Bhavans were situated on 18.18 acres of land obtained by the erstwhile government of Nizam of Hyderabad from the Government of India (GOI) in three bits in 1917, 1928 and 1936 on payment as per the records of the then Foreign and Political Department of GOI. The Hyderabad House was later taken over by GOI and, in lieu of it, land to an extent of 7.56 acres in Pataudi House and 1.21 acres in an adjoining nursing institute were allotted to the then Andhra Pradesh government.
Therefore, Mr. Rao said, these properties belonged to the then State of Hyderabad under the rule of VI Nizam which remained a separate state even after Independence. It was eventually included in the Indian Union in 1948. Incidentally, Andhra State did not exist then as it was carved out of the erstwhile Madras State in October 1953 only, whereas the State of Hyderabad continued to exist from 1948 untill November 1, 1956, when its Telugu speaking areas were merged with Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh.
The formation of Telangana state in 2014 was only de-merger rather than creation of a new State. Hence, he said, the property that belonged to the Nizam and subsequently to Hyderabad State in Indian Union should also devolve to the state of Telangana and could not be divided between AP and Telangana. This was particularly so in view of the fact that there were two States till 1956 – Hyderabad and Andhra – which should have been having separate State Bhavans.
The property of Nizam would have remained with Hyderabad State and the Andhra State should have been allotted a land for setting up its Bhavan immediately after separation from the erstwhile Madras State in October 1953. In the alternative, Andhra State should have got its share in the ratio of population in the property belonging to erstwhile Madras State in New Delhi.
SOURCE: PTI