The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Holiday atmosphere prevails in Secretariat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 22, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Holiday atmosphere prevails in Secretariat

Special Correspondent

The administration seems to have moved to Rajiv Nagar and most of the Ministers were entrusted with various responsibilities

HYDERABAD: The AICC plenary session, which began here on Saturday, had its effect on the Secretariat, the seat of the State administration.

A holiday atmosphere prevailed in the sprawling premises where nearly 6,500 employees work. The Government seemed to have moved to "Rajiv Nagar" (as the Gachibowli Stadium has been renamed), for the day with Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and most of his 26 Ministers making themselves scarce.

The Chief Minister's official engagement sheet for the day was blank. So was the case with all the Ministers who have been entrusted with different responsibilities in connection with the mega event.

For instance, Civil Supplies Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy was busy making food arrangements for the delegates at the stadium. Being a week-end, the attendance of officials was already thin. This too grew thinner by 4 pm.

The son-speak

It is a common belief that the problems faced by people in the constituencies represented by sons/daughters of Chief Minister of a State receive utmost attention of the powers that be.

Ask sons of the Chief Ministers of Haryana and Delhi about this. Their reply is a firm no! "We will, of course, have much detailed information about issues than others.

We know about the pros and cons of things and the flip sides of the policies. That's all," says Sandeep Dikshit, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's son and MP.

But when it comes to the demands pertaining to his constituency, the Government deals with them almost the same way it does with others.

More often than not there will be occasions when the demands putforth by them will be "de-preferenced," say Mr. Dikshit and his Rohtak counterpart, Deepender Singh Hooda, son of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

And, the moment their demands are sidelined, they will be in a piquant situation. "Yes. All that we can do in such a situation is put some forceful requisition for solution. Yaar dharna to nahi de sakte hain na (We cannot stage a dharna against the Government)," they say.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh

News Update

Stories in this Section