The IAS and IPS officers made a beeline for the houses of TRS and TDP presidents – K. Chandrasekhar Rao and N. Chandrababu Naidu – even before they assumed office as the Chief Ministers. The purpose was obvious – to be in the good books of their bosses and acquire plum postings.
In the context of the bifurcation of the State, they would also want to remain in Hyderabad though the Central government is yet to give a notification regarding the guidelines for the distribution of All-India Service officers.
As many of them are settled in the city, they do not want to relocate to Andhra Pradesh, whose capital is yet to be identified.
They reason out that they have grown-up children studying in Hyderabad. The problem is acute among mid-career officials. The newly inducted ones and those in the advanced stages of their career from other States have no complaints because they have have moved out of their hometown anyway.
Oscillating between hope and despair
Over a dozen serving and retired IAS officers who were booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the quid-pro-quo investments, illegal mining and illegal land deal cases linked to Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and Gali Janardhan Reddy are a disappointed lot now with the YSR Congress failing to come to power in Seemandhra.
They were hoping that the cases would lag if YSR Congress came to power. But their prayers did not move the electorate in Seemandhra, who gave a resounding win to the Telugu Desam Party. Similarly, the plans of another group of IAS officers who enjoyed good working relations with the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and who were sidelined later by his successors, also went topsy-turvy as they were hoping to secure plum posts in the Seemandhra government once Jagan took over the reins.
Great expectations
In the days preceding the declaration of election results, journalists who wanted to visit the offices of bureaucrats needed to fulfil a prerequisite.
They had to be on top of election trends and predict the winners/losers as the chat in the chambers was confined to the polls.
The IAS and IPS officers also found it convenient to turn the attention of journalists away from news and engage them in politics. However, they would make probing questions on their favourites in the election ring as they were anxious to know who would be their future masters.
A literal divide
With just two weeks left for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh States to come into existence, the top bureaucracy is engaged in splitting its office establishment into two.
Officials are literally measuring the premises with a tape to divide the existing accommodation.
They are asking officials of roads and buildings to prepare estimates for setting up new work stations and chambers.
The work is to be completed with the funds available in the office account before May 24, the last day for closure of all financial transactions of the government.
So, they want the estimates and the work in a jiffy.
Ravi Reddy, B. Chandrashekhar, M.L. Melly Maitreyi and N. Rahul
(hyderabaddesk@thehindu.co.in)
