With both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments firm in submitting their known contradictory stands on division of assets of Schedule X institutions to the Department of Home Affairs, doubts persist if the issue will be resolved any time soon.
Division of assets in the reorganised States like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar was a long drawn affair and the process took more than 10 years.
Last week, the committee headed by Home Affairs Additional Secretary Jaideep Govind wrapped up its sittings to hear out the arguments put forth by committee members from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on sharing of assets of AP State Council for Higher Education and other 141 Schedule X institutions. It directed both the States to give their arguments in writing within 10 days for it to give its final decision.
Unlike UP and Bihar, the case of Telugu states is different as they sought Court intervention a year after bifurcation in 2015.
AP Government challenged Telangana taking over entire APSCHE premises in Hyderabad when the provisions of the AP State Reorganisation Act, 2014, stipulated that they should be shared on the basis of population ratio, AP sources said.
The Supreme Court gave a common direction in March 2016 that the States should adhere to the provisions of the Act and disposed of two petitions - one filed by the Higher Education Department of AP against takeover and the other by the Telangana Government that the Schedule X institutions should belong to the State where they are located. The Court directed the Centre to ensure the assets of the institutions are divided smoothly between the States as per the Act.
The committee headed by GoI official will now have to take a decision as the two States differ in the interpretation of the Act. Telangana staked claim on the basis of geographical location of Schedule X institutions as per Section 75, and AP is firm that the Section 47 of the Act stipulates division of assets on the basis of population ratio of 58:42.
“We believe that in the light of Supreme Court directive, Home Affairs department will not delay the decision as it had already spent considerable time hearing the view points of States. Otherwise, AP would have to approach the apex court to give further clarity to its directive on division of Schedule X institutions,” the sources said.
