Telangana: Divorce over, time to split the booty

HYDERABAD: "So this particular combination of a part of Hyderabad State with Andhra — this marriage, as I call it — has many features, good and bad, which often accompany marriages... it is good if the two cooperate and flourish to the advantage of each other. But, there are also dangers if different temperaments and other things... come in the way of the smooth working, so essential for the success of a marriage," Jawaharlal Nehru had proclaimed during the merger of the two states in 1956. As the 'marriage' ends after 57 long years and much acrimony, the two are set to part ways with their share of alimony to build on their new futures.

Emerging as the abode of rich gods, residuary AP will be blessed with over Rs 2,500 crore annual 'dakshina' (Rs 2000 crore alone from the Tirupati temple ), while Telangana's rich Nizamian heritage, including Qutb Shahi Tombs and Charminar, will draw domestic and international tourists.

But when it comes to natural bounty, Telangana will walk away with 45% of forest area, huge mineral deposits like coal, limestone, bauxite, mica and a chunk of the catchment areas of Krishna and Godavari rivers. However, AP will become the sole owner of a 970 km-long coastline, 17,500 sq km forest area and vast reserves of gas and rare minerals like uranium and barytes (Kadapa has the largest reserves).

On the economic front, AP will emerge as the new manufacturing powerhouse, dotted by the likes of Sri City, Pharma City and a string of food parks, though Telangana will log in growth as a knowledge and services hub thanks to its Rs 50,000 crore IT/ITeS exports and a plethora of IT firms and R&D institutions like Microsoft, Dell, Google, Facebook, TCS, IBM and DuPont.

While Hyderabad region will continue to remain a pharma hub, churning out drugs for the domestic and international markets, it will face tough competition from AP that is already emerging as a force to reckon with. In the infra segment, major and minor ports like Visakhapatnam Port Trust, Gangavaram and Krishnapatnam will anchor AP's economy, helping it become India's gateway to the East, while the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor zipping through its southern districts will keep business ticking.

Telangana will try to cash in on its existing world-class infrastructure like the international airport, Outer Ring Road, and HiTec City, that are concentrated in and around Hyderabad.

But when it comes to PSUs, Hyderabad and its surrounding district of Ranga Reddy will grab a lion's share, housing as they do BHEL, ECIL, HAL, HMT, CCMB, DRDO and DRDL as compared to AP's Dredging Corporation of India, HPCL refinery , Hindustan Shipyard , Vizag Steel Plant, as well as the Eastern Naval Command that are headquartered in Vizag.

Educationally speaking, AP will take away the combined state's oldest university Andhra University, but Telangana will rule the roost with institutions like IIT (Medak), Indian School of Business, Hyderabad Central University , JNTU and NIFT.

And though AP boasts of more 'power' muscle due to the abundance of power plants and natural gas reserves, post split Telangana will walk away with nearly 54% of the power generated in united AP based on the prescribed division formula.