The Telangana High Court has quashed the Centre's order directing the State government to pay around ₹6,750 crore power dues to Andhra Pradesh.
The High Court has given the two State governments the liberty to take recourse to remedy available in law.
The dispute over payment of power dues between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh has been pending for a long time.
The Andhra Pradesh government argues that Telangana should pay ₹3,441.78 crore in principal and ₹3,315.14 crore late payment surcharge for the power supplied to it post bifurcation.
The Telangana government claims that its power utilities should receive around ₹17,828 crore from Andhra Pradesh.
The Telangana government presented papers in support of its contention during a virtual meeting convened by the Union Home Ministry.
The total receivables from Andhra Pradesh power utilities were ₹17,420 crore, while dues payable to APGENCO were ₹4,887 crore, leaving a balance of ₹12,532 crore receivable by Telangana.
The Andhra Pradesh government approached the Union Power Ministry regarding the issue of power dues between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The Union Power Minister stated that the Centre had directed the Andhra Pradesh government to supply electricity to Telangana after the bifurcation.
Telangana initially made payments for the power supplied but later stopped and went to court when asked to pay the dues.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 empowered the Centre to enforce its directions.
The Union Power Ministry is in consultation with the Union Finance Ministry to deduct the amount owed to Andhra Pradesh from the accounts of the Telangana government.
The Telangana government questioned why the Centre remained silent on other unresolved issues since the bifurcation.
The issue of power dues was discussed in bilateral meetings and meetings of the Southern Zonal Council.
Telangana is willing to settle the issue but wants its own dues to be taken into consideration.
Andhra Pradesh power utilities have approached the National Company Law Tribunal and filed a writ petition in the Telangana High Court regarding power dues.
Telangana government is open to settlement if Andhra Pradesh agrees to do so out of court, but rejects partial settlement.
Telangana power utilities accuse Andhra Pradesh power utilities of making decisions without considering the advice of the southern regional load dispatch centre.
Telangana government claims that Andhra Pradesh power utilities are not considering requests to settle disputes at the state level and are avoiding settlement.
Mediation to settle power dues could be a major step towards resolving other pending bifurcation issues between the two states.
The deadline for settling issues, as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, is less than a year away.
Tive by the Centre to deploy officers to showcase the government's achievements through a roadshow. It raises concerns about the politicization ofhe recent direct the bureaucracy and the military, which goes against the principles of India's constitutional scheme of governance.
The Centre has launched a roadshow called Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to showcase its achievements from the last nine years.
The roadshow will run from November 20 to January 25, 2024, and is conveniently timed for the Lok Sabha election expected in April-May 2024.
Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries will be appointed Rath Prabharis (chariots in-charge) for the roadshow.
The Ministry of Defence is setting up 822 'selfie points' where citizens can take pictures with a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
These selfie points will be set up at prominent locations with maximum footfall and the potential to attract public attention.
Opposition parties, including Congress, have criticized the government for politicizing the bureaucracy and the military.
India's constitutional scheme of governance separates power among the executive, judiciary, and legislature, and also separates the bureaucracy and military from the political executive.
The bureaucracy and military are strictly under the control of the political executive but are insulated from partisan politics.
The extensive election process in India has retained credibility due to bureaucratic impartiality.
The military's involvement in domestic politics is considered unacceptable.
Civil and military officials are expected to remain loyal to the government elected by the citizens, regardless of personal ideology.
The BJP's strategy of disregarding norms for electoral gains has been successful but will leave behind damage that may be irreversible.
If institutions are undermined, the damage may be irreversible.
It is important for the ruling party to prioritize the interests of the nation and practice what it preaches.
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