Amid the political turmoil in the State, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had a series of engagements on Tuesday up to Wednesday evening in an apparent effort to indicate that the functioning of the government was unaffected. However, the administration has been severely hit as no decisions are being made in most departments, said bureaucrats.
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Before the political stalemate began, different departments were making presentations for the legislature session scheduled to begin on July 12. But, this work has come to a grinding halt and most departments have not yet received questions legislators have registered to be taken up in the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.
Officialssaid while existing programmes and projects were being implemented, there was nobody to give approval for new schemes or make decisions for matters that needed deliberation.
A senior official in the State Secretariat said this was nothing new, and no bureaucrat would take policy decisions when the stability of the government was in question, and that a new government looked imminent.
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“While the incumbents try to clear files in a hurry and even take policy decisions in their last days if they know they are going out, the next government will usually begin with a review of decisions taken in the last days of the previous government. No officer would like to be stuck in the crossfire,” he said.
BBMP most affected
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) seems to be the worst hit by the ongoing crisis. The resignation of five Congress and JD(S) MLAs, including Ramalinga Reddy, seems to have rocked the coalition in the BBMP Council as well. The council meeting was also disrupted and adjourned without any business being held on Tuesday. Senior officials said while routine work was not disrupted, administration was hit as no approvals were coming forth for any new works. The council functioned briefly on Wednesday, only to be adjourned again amidst a din.