The allotment of All India Service officers between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana States is as good as over though it’s a provisional one. But the suspense over the fate of ten of them continues as the two governments have written a joint letter to the Centre seeking their retention in the respective States for administrative convenience.
The governments had earlier made the requests separately, but the Centre insisted that they approach it together. The AP government sought retention of services of IAS officers Ajay Jain, Ajay Sawhney, R.V. Karnan, A.K. Singhal and Sidharth Jain and IPS officer A.R. Anuradha. On the other hand, Telangana wanted Poonam Malakondaiah, Somesh Kumar, Jayesh Ranjan and Ronald Ross. Amid mounting anxiety among these officers, speculation is rife that the governments may be allowed their services only for two months.
Leading by example
That’s what Syed Omer Jaleel, Secretary, Minorities Welfare, Andhra Pradesh, did on Sunday. The civil servant donated blood on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Prophet of Islam. Mr. Jaleel went to the Asafia State Central Library at Afzalgunj where a blood donation camp was organised and took part in the programme.
A prominent figure in the community, Mr. Jaleel’s action inspired many youth to follow suit. In fact, a day before his recorded message appealing people to observe ‘Milad-un-Nabi’ by offering blood was circulated in social media sites.
Naidu a shrewd ‘CEO’
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is known for his shrewdness in giving the right man his right job, is said to have already handpicked his team while giving postings to the IAS, IPS and forest service officers, who were allotted to the State government.
Mr. Naidu completed the exercise for a massive reshuffle even as the IAS, IPS and forest service officers were ready with relieving orders and joining reports in their hands. The Chief Minister is very particular about the choice of officers and “that’s why he is called CEO”, remarked a senior IAS officer.
As many as 52 IAS officers from AP are set to join the Telangana government and about 30 vice-versa, but only some of them got relieving orders by Sunday.
AIS officers bow to their fate
The swapping of All India Service officers between the two States which was permitted by the Centre is going to remain a sour experience for the remaining part of the career for those involved in it. A few senior IAS officers on either side are personally interested in working for the other State, but they have no choice except to accept the allocation as they are not in line for swapping by the two States. “I know it will be very difficult to work and defend the interests of a State with the desire to work for the other State in mind. There’s no other go but to accept it as our fate,” a senior officer said recently. It will be very difficult if such officers happen to work in key departments such as power and water, on which the two States are at loggerheads.
Officials ready to shift
Some of the IAS officers have already started making arrangements to shift to the new place of work, much before they were served relieving orders.
A visit to the chambers of one of them in the Telangana Secretariat shows that the officer has packed off his belongings. He has pulled off his certificates and pictures that hung on the walls, while the desks were full of files, literally occupying the entire space. Obviously, officers were playing safe by not signing the files and leaving the job to their successors unless they were very important.
When an IAS officer was asked about the absence of his IIT graduation certificate that he had placed behind him till the other day, he jocularly replied that he had given it for photocopying as he wouldn’t like to risk with his proud possession.
