By-polls effect: 2000 files pending at Secretariat

The ‘side-effect’ of the ruling Congress Party’s efforts to push for a victory in the by-elections for the Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly constituencies has left over 2,000 files pending.

Specifically, the Kadapa by-election has not only become a focal point for all concerned but it emerged as a prestige issue to the ruling Congress.

That is the reason why so many Ministers have been camping in the district to ensure victory to the Congress nominee. 

At what cost?

In Hyderabad work has suffered in Secretariat due the lack of any movement of important files.

With two Ministers contesting the by-elections in Kadapa district, (Agriculture Minister YS Vivekananda Reddy who is contesting against former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s widow YS Vijayalakshmi from Pulivendula Assembly constituency and another stalwart Health Minister DL Ravindra Reddy keen to give a a tough fight to former MP and YSR Congress Party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy for Kadapa Parliamentary seat), another seven Ministers have been deputed to campaign for the ruling party.

These seven Ministers, Transport Minister Botsa Satyanarayana, Finance Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy, Housing Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, Wakf and Minority Welfare Minister Syed Ahmadullah, Roads and Buildings Minister Dharmana Prasad Rao, Minor Irrigation Minister TG Venkatesh and Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy have been made In-Charges of the seven Assembly segments to energise the Congress campaign.

Apart from these Ministers, 20-Point Economic Programme Chairman N Tulasi Reddy, along with his men had also joined the electioneering in Kadapa.

With the top rung away on electioneering, the mantle of running the administration has fallen on the next rung of top officers and Heads of Departments who made no headway in file clearance in the absence of their senior Ministers.

This apart, holidays galore also contributed to this unproductive issue.

Frequent holidays plus weekends came as a windfall for the employees - the actual work force who also form part of unproductive source.

This way the file movement had been hampered in the entire state Secretariat.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy was also away for longer periods either in New Delhi or due to holidays which had occupied a major part of April so far.

The Secretariat remained mostly deserted and the lower rung officials who do attend for duty also take advantage and are seemingly not so serious at work.