The IAS officers discharging duties at the Telangana Secretariat were a happy lot when the news broke out that the government has proposed to bar the entry of media personnel into the sprawling campus.
One officer put it this way: “We have reason to feel happy. You can see for yourself how we are harassed by press persons.” He was referring to a handful of reporters who followed him up to his office chambers right from the Chief Minister’s block wanting to know the inside story of a review meeting presided over by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
The bureaucrats had recently complained to Mr. Rao that media persons swarmed the Secretariat and affected smooth functioning of administration. They told him that they were not spared even in the elevators and corridors.
The debate now among IPS officers of Telangana State is about who would be the full-fledged Director General of Police as the State government has geared up to furnish to the Union Public Service Commission the list of senior police officers who could be considered for the post. The State presently has an in-charge DGP in Anurag Sharma.
As per the Supreme Court guidelines, a DGP will be appointed by the State. It will furnish names of six senior most officers to the UPSC which will shortlist three names and refer them to the State government to take the call.
Of the six senior most officers in the State, three are on Central deputation and one recently withdrew a petition in Central Administrative Tribunal challenging the appointment of Mr. Sharma. That leaves A.K. Khan and Mr. Sharma, both of whom belong to the same batch.
The proposal of Andhra Pradesh government to appoint only IAS officers as Commissioners of municipal corporations, 15 of them, is likely to create an artificial shortage of All India Service officers in the State as the demand for them went up in the wake of bifurcation of the State which led to their distribution.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu pinned his hopes on IAS officers for improving the conditions in major civic bodies in the past too when he was at the helm. However, the number of municipal corporations in the whole of combined AP was only three then.
The number of the municipal corporations has gone up to 15 in AP with the upgradation of most of the district headquarters and other major towns during the last 10 years.
Civil servants rarely find time to take a break from their work and visit institutes devoted to language and literature. The other day, three IAS officers belonging to Ministry of Minority Affairs came down from Delhi to hold talks on bifurcation of the Wakf Board. The work over, Arvind Mayaram, Secretary, Minority Affairs, along with his colleagues headed to Dairatul Maarif, the ancient institute in Osmania University campus where rare Arabic manuscripts are preserved. Of course Mr. Mayaram had heard about the institute from his wife, who had earlier come here for her research work. The officer was quite surprised at the work being done here. He was pleased to find an Arabic translation of Gita. He promised to grant central funds for improvement of Dairatul Maarif.
Reporting by N. Rahul, Asif Yar Khan, B. Chandrashekhar, J.S. Ifthekhar
One officer put it this way: “We have reason to feel happy. You can see for yourself how we are harassed by press persons.” He was referring to a handful of reporters who followed him up to his office chambers right from the Chief Minister’s block wanting to know the inside story of a review meeting presided over by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
The bureaucrats had recently complained to Mr. Rao that media persons swarmed the Secretariat and affected smooth functioning of administration. They told him that they were not spared even in the elevators and corridors.
WHO WILL HOLD FULL-FLEDGED DGP POST?
The debate now among IPS officers of Telangana State is about who would be the full-fledged Director General of Police as the State government has geared up to furnish to the Union Public Service Commission the list of senior police officers who could be considered for the post. The State presently has an in-charge DGP in Anurag Sharma.
As per the Supreme Court guidelines, a DGP will be appointed by the State. It will furnish names of six senior most officers to the UPSC which will shortlist three names and refer them to the State government to take the call.
Of the six senior most officers in the State, three are on Central deputation and one recently withdrew a petition in Central Administrative Tribunal challenging the appointment of Mr. Sharma. That leaves A.K. Khan and Mr. Sharma, both of whom belong to the same batch.
PINNING HOPES ON IAS OFFICERS
The proposal of Andhra Pradesh government to appoint only IAS officers as Commissioners of municipal corporations, 15 of them, is likely to create an artificial shortage of All India Service officers in the State as the demand for them went up in the wake of bifurcation of the State which led to their distribution.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu pinned his hopes on IAS officers for improving the conditions in major civic bodies in the past too when he was at the helm. However, the number of municipal corporations in the whole of combined AP was only three then.
The number of the municipal corporations has gone up to 15 in AP with the upgradation of most of the district headquarters and other major towns during the last 10 years.
WORTH THE VISIT
Civil servants rarely find time to take a break from their work and visit institutes devoted to language and literature. The other day, three IAS officers belonging to Ministry of Minority Affairs came down from Delhi to hold talks on bifurcation of the Wakf Board. The work over, Arvind Mayaram, Secretary, Minority Affairs, along with his colleagues headed to Dairatul Maarif, the ancient institute in Osmania University campus where rare Arabic manuscripts are preserved. Of course Mr. Mayaram had heard about the institute from his wife, who had earlier come here for her research work. The officer was quite surprised at the work being done here. He was pleased to find an Arabic translation of Gita. He promised to grant central funds for improvement of Dairatul Maarif.
Reporting by N. Rahul, Asif Yar Khan, B. Chandrashekhar, J.S. Ifthekhar
