Date:20/07/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/07/20/stories/2004072005510400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

CMO finds its bearings

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 19. The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) grappling with several loose ends in running the administration till date, seems to be finally overcoming the problems. Teething troubles over, the CM's peshi is heaving a sigh of relief as the functioning is gaining momentum.

The emphasis now is on fine-tuning the Chief Minister's engagements with MLAs and Ministers and bureaucrats.

The Principal Secretary, Jannath Hussain, has his team in place now but for just one official. One of the biggest burdens - representations from MLAs and MPs - which keep flooding the CMO every day are now to be entrusted to the PRO, Ravi Chand. A special cell is to be constituted for the work and speedy disposal along with `file-tracking' facility would be available to people's representatives.

The only hitch that still remains is the delay over the joining of M.V.G.K. Bhanu, as one of the special secretaries. Mr. Bhanu is currently working with the Assam Government and is facing some "administrative problems" in getting relieved. Other than this, Mr. Jannath Hussain is being assisted by two other IAS officers -- P. Subramanyam and Luv Agarwal.

Kiran Kumar Reddy of the Velugu Project has taken over as PS to the Chief Minister.

Officials feel that more attention must be paid to eliciting the opinion of the senior officers for better coordination. Review meetings could become more pointed and "if the Chief Minister could spare more time to listen to our view point it would be great," a senior bureaucrat says.

Induction of a few more IAS officers into the CM peshi for giving greater thrust to schemes and programmes is also not being ruled out.