Frequent transfers hitting governance in Telangana: Harish Rao

HYDERABAD

BRS Legislature Party deputy leader and former minister T. Harish Rao accused the Congress government of plunging Telangana’s administration into instability through unprecedented and reckless transfers of senior officials. He found fault with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for these transfers and suggested the government against such constant reshuffling of All India Services (AIS) officers.

During an informal chat with the media at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday, Mr. Rao said that the government had carried out five major rounds of transfers so far, leaving department heads with an average tenure of less than eight months. He pointed out that 140 IAS officers and 20 District Collectors had been shifted, including four Collectors in Ranga Reddy district alone.

He said that the Electricity department had seen five leadership changes in two years, leading to ‘turmoil’, affecting service delivery. “Four officers each had been transferred in SCCL, GHMC, I&PR, and several other departments. This government is damaging the morale of young officials. Collectors need time to understand districts, but they are being moved within months,” he said.

He slammed the Congress government for extending the services of retired IAS, IPS officers and hundreds of engineers. “Corruption is rising in engineering departments because retired officials are holding key posts,” he claimed.

Questioning the decision to entrust the Chief Secretary with the additional charge as IT Secretary, he said it is not possible to manage both effectively. He also accused the government of keeping 80% of Government Orders (GO) offline despite High Court directions, and asked why the State’s education policy had been removed from the official website.

The former minister alleged irregularities in mining activities linked to individuals close to the Chief Minister, claiming a fixed crushing plant had been illegally set up in Neopolis despite restrictions.