At times, personal will triumphs over political will, given deft and calculated moves. With the decks cleared for Somesh Kumar to seek VRS, the former Chief Secretary of Telangana is set to make a grand return to Telangana. And how! The buzz is that Somesh will be given the much-coveted post of RERA Chairman. For newbies, though as per the RERA Act, the Regulatory Authority and Appellate Tribunal should have been appointed within one year, for the past five years no such appointment was made.
For, the Chief Secretary had been acting as the regulatory authority. Real estate being a cash cow for the government from the revenue standpoint, Somesh, already exposed to it, is considered the best fit. He will now have control of land and real estate, which help fill the coffers. Additionally, Somesh Kumar may play a crucial role for the Bharat Rashtra Samiti in Delhi, especially in the expansion of the party. The whispers in the corridors of power are that he may be given contracts to facilitate the projected nationwide spread of BRS.
Dhananjayaa punching bag now
In power centres, the go-betweens must be shrewd and quick; otherwise, they could end up being considered smart alecks or, worse still, treated as a punching bag. Resentment is building up against K Dhananjaya Reddy, Secretary to AP Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, as the turnaround time for all issues and requests routed through him to the CM has become agonisingly long. Dhananjayaobviously cannot meet everyone’s demand with all his efforts. Still, due to restricted access to the CM, everyone is blaming the point person for delay in getting things done. Sandwiched between the Chief Minister and all others sounding important, he has become a punching bag for every Tom, Dick and Harry too.
Centre’s interference irks AP government
The maxim “Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile” applies best to the situation in Andhra Pradesh today, where the state government has played into the hands of the Centre. The AP government is bristling at the ‘excessive interference’ of the Government of India in handling state bureaucrats, particularly in respect of P V Sunil and A B Venkateshwarlu.The state government is feeling the pinch of receiving orders from the Centre for almost everything.
This is happening only in Andhra Pradesh and nowhere else in the country, mainly because the opposition party is filing petitions. A top bureaucrat told yours truly that the state government feels that they no longer have control over the bureaucracy. The unintended consequence of undue central interference is that many of the officials are not heeding the government.
Who are the four collectors?
Glitches in Dharani have created problems for users as well as the administrators of the portal, not excluding district collectors. Bureaucratic circles are discussing as to who are the ‘four collectors’ against whom BJP Telangana State unit president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar proposes to file a complaint with the Union Department of Personnel and Training over irregularities in Dharani.
The MP’s point that these four collectors had been given priority in all posts has become a hot topic for discussions. Noticeably, postings of a couple of collectors revolved around GHMC districts only. For instance, the recent transfer of Ranga Reddy collector, who also holds Hyderabad collector charge, was to MedchalMalkajgiri. Medak Collector became Ranga Reddy collector.
Power gravitates to women in land of Rani Rudrama
Call it coincidentally or otherwise, women are in top positions in the region once ruled by the legendary Rani Rudrama Devi. Under the tri-city, Hanumakonda Collector, Warangal Municipal Commissioner, and Mayor are women officers, apart from judges and RTC Regional Manager. Sikta Patnaik, IAS(2014) was recently transferred and posted as Collector, Hanumakonda. P Pravinya (2016) is the Municipal Commissioner.
Sikta and Pravinyapreviously served in GHMC. Koka Radha Devi is the Principal District and Sessions Judge, while Warangal RTC Regional Manager is Srilatha. Warangal Mayor is Gundu Sudha Rani. While the Chief Secretary of TS is a woman — A Santhi Kumar, three more women IAS officers — Shailaja Ramaiyer (1997) Hari Chandana Dasari (2010) and K. Nikhila(2015) are awaiting posting.
Telugu IIS officer’s feat
Sometimes those helming publicity make news unobtrusively.In a rare achievement for a Telugu IIS officer, S Venkateshwarhas been elevated to a higher grade. For newbies, S. Venkateshwar is currently Director General (South) PIB, Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. He has been promoted to HEG plus grade, which is higher than that of DG PIB. The 1989 batch IIS officer currently heads all media units in southern India, including Press Information Bureau and Regional Outreach Bureau. He will also be Additional Press Registrar of Registrar of Newspaper of India. He had earlier worked as DG PIB Telangana, Doordarshan, AIR, Press Information Bureau, and DAVP across India in various capacities.
-Yours truly
