South govts
Puducherry CM Narayanaswamy, who also holds the finance portfolio, said the union government’s policies were forcing some of the states to revolt against it.
Kerala state finance minister Thomas Issac, who organised the meeting, claimed his state stood to lose at least ~20,000 crore if the new terms of reference are used. Tamil Nadu would lose twice that, he added. Together, the four southern states and Puducherry would lose ~80,000 crore.
It isn’t just about the South and the North, Issac clarified. More states such as Delhi, Punjab, and Odisha would be invited to join the bloc, he said, listing three more states with non-bjp or non-nda governments.
Andhra Pradesh finance minister Ramakrishandu said most of the policies of the Union government were arbitrary in nature and against the federal polity of the country. “We need more power. At least 80% of the developmental activities are carried out by states and the Centre is only doing 20%,” he said.
His view was echoed by Karnataka agriculture minister Gowda who said that instead of lauding the southern states for executing national policies (such as those on population control) effectively, the Centre seems keen to penalise them.
Tamil Nadu and Telengana did not send any representatives to the meeting. TN Deputy CM O Paneerselvam, who also holds the finance portfolio, skipped the meeting. The state’s decision not to send a senior minister is being viewed as a move aimed at keeping the Centre happy.
Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao had turned down the invitation , saying such meetings were against the spirit of national integration.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, who inaugurated the meeting, said the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission have created enough apprehensions about the principles of fairness and equity in the distribution of national resources.
“The finance commission’s proposal is nothing short of an attack on the federal structure mandated by the constitution. Reframing the terms of reference is imperative to strengthen the federal structure of the country and to reinforce its unity and integrity” he added.
In his statement, though, Jaitley pointed out that the 14th finance commission, which increased the share of states’ revenue to 42% from 32%, had already set a precedent by giving 10% weightage to the 2011 census data. He added that the TOR of the 15th commission includes a provision for rewarding with special incentives states that have done well in terms of population control. “There is no inherent bias or mandate in the TOR of the 15th Finance Commission which can be construed as discriminatory against the states which made good progress in population control,” he said. ations at T1. Certain areas of T1 and city side will operate at a lower capacity due to shifting of (around 1/3rd) part of traffic to Terminal 2 to ease the operational pressure slightly for facilitating construction works. However, despite the measures to ease the pressure, construction phasing would have to be properly planned to ensure that the remaining operations are smooth. Temporary facilities, as may be necessary in any project area, would have to be constructed to ensure smooth operations,” the DIAL official added.
DIAL has appointed AECOM, a design and development consultant for infrastructure projects, to complete the preliminary design for the expansion works. “These will be handed to the selected contractor who will then develop these further and undertake the works on EPC (engineering, procurement & construction) turnkey basis. The preliminary designs fully capture the design intent and broad specifications to enable an experienced international contractor to tender for the EPC works. The contractor would do the detailed designing necessary for the preparation of the detailed construction drawings and execution of the works. The contractor would deploy the latest technology including building information modelling system for achieving clash-free environment for all areas of construction works, whether airside, landside or terminal,” the document reads.
DIAL has put in a condition that the contractor minimise inconvenience in an operational airport environment at the time of execution of the designed works. “VIP and VVIP movements is another critical area at the airports which has to be carefully factored. Mapping of operational constraints will be extremely important to arrive at realistic timelines and cost,” the DIAL official said.