Hyderabad: The constant movement of top officials, especially secretaries, in critical departments like GHMC is slowing down development projects and affecting important government decisions.
The Energy, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, and Information and Public Relations (I&PR) departments are also facing challenges due to frequent leadership changes over the past year. The energy department alone had four secretaries quickly replaced, which has disrupted its performance. This has notably affected the progress of the Yadadri thermal power project, solar power initiatives, and infrastructure development. After senior IAS officer Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi was transferred, Ronald Rose took over but was soon moved to Andhra Pradesh due to an internal dispute and orders from CAT.
To manage this, senior IAS officer Sandeep Kumar Sultania was temporarily in charge of the energy department but only for four months. Recently, senior official Naveen Mittal was appointed as energy secretary. Insiders say these frequent changes are causing delays in infrastructure projects and other critical issues in the GENCO and TRANSCO sectors.
GHMC is facing issues with commissioners being replaced every few months. Over the past 15 months, there have been four commissioners, often due to political reasons. After the Congress took power, Ronald Rose was replaced by Amrapali Kata as GHMC Commissioner, but she was soon moved back to Andhra Pradesh after CAT’s orders. K Ilambariti then took over in October but was replaced by RV Karnana after just over five months.
These changes have disrupted civic projects, according to department officials. Moreover, conflicts have arisen between the GHMC and HYDRAA Commissioners due to poor communication on various issues.
The Panchayat Raj and Rural Development department is also experiencing similar issues. Sandeep Kumar Sultania and Lokesh Kumar served short terms as secretaries, and recently N Sridhar was appointed. Officials say the frequent transfers have slowed the ambitious village development program that involves local communities.
In the I&PR department, frequent shifts of the special commissioner have occurred. IAS officers Ashok Reddy, M Hanumanth Rao, and S Harish each served only about six months. In the latest IAS reshuffle, Ch Priyanka was appointed as special commissioner. Some officials note that these transfers are part of broader departmental changes without any specific reason.
