Hyderabad: It seems like the higher echelons in the state administration are still not mustering the required pace and momentum that is expected of those representing a state government that has been in office for the past 18 months.

Sources told Hans India that many ministers in the state cabinet are unhappy at the slow pace of administration in the state Secretariat. Many Secretaries heading various departments have failed to accomplish the tasks before the deadline. Added to that many of them are slow in clearing files. The Education and MA&UD wings, the portfolios which are with the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, have also not been spared from the lethargic approach. There have been delays in completing the assigned works. The finance, agriculture, R&B, civil supplies, endowments, panchayat raj and welfare departments are consuming a lot of time to clear files pertaining to implementation of policies, employees’ grievances and release of funds, among others.

After the state government announced taking up road development under HAM (Hybrid Annuity Model), the execution agency R&B Department has been moving at a snail's pace to ground works in many districts due to delay in finalisation of private stakeholders.

Under the HAM model, the state government has agreed to bear 40 per cent of the funding with the remaining 60 per cent set to be borne by private agencies. Many files requiring clearance are pending at different stages with the Secretary and Engineer-in-Chief in the Secretariat. Although R&B Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy has been coaxing top officials to expedite the works, they remain on paper.

Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy drew an action plan for the issue of new white ration cards from May. Ironically, the department officials have not yet made arrangements to clear the applications, Officials said that the minister is eager to issue the ration cards in a time bound manner, but the Secretariat level authorities remain oblivious of the urgency. Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao has been asking the top officials to ensure a speedy release of funds under the Rythu Bharosa scheme. Farmers, who own over five acres of land, are still waiting for the scheme benefits. Vexed with the official apathy of finance and agriculture wings, the Minister seems to have given up all hope of early implementation.

Officials from the endowments wing are consuming more time to execute Minister Konda Surkeha’s orders as regards the release of funds for refurbishing prominent temples in the state. A similar tragic tale haunts the Panchayat Raj department, especially in the districts.

The Chief Minister has been asking MA&UD officials to expedite the process for urban development vis-à-vis 17 urban development authorities in the districts.

The files for clearance were still pending at different stages due to various reasons.

The ministers are fuming at Secretaries for not implementing policy decisions and their failure to clear files pertaining to promotions, transfers and disbursement of other benefits to government employees.

Meanwhile, some Secretaries are blaming the GAD officials for the delay in file approvals despite repeated pleas by the ministers.