STRIKING WHILE THE IRON IS HOT

In what is seen on hindsight as an attempt to strike while the iron is hot, senior IAS officer RP Sisodia made eyebrow-raising comments during the recent Collectors’ conference in Andhra Pradesh. His remarks, “People have lost trust in IAS officers and hence are hesitating to approach the District Collectors with their grievances”, have understandably gone viral among bureaucratic circles. The bold observation of the Special Chief Secretary of Revenue Department evoked a positive response from Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who endorsed the comments and even advised the District Collectors to start rebuilding the system to engender trust among the people. A little bird told us that Sisodia made the comments about trust deficit only to grab the attention of the Chief Minister and to be in the good books of Chandrababu Naidu. For, the present Chief Secretary NK Prasad, who had been given extension for six months, will retire in four months. Sisodia seems to be eyeing the CS post.