The summer with its heat and dust may be over for many, but the bureaucratic babudom in Telangana continues to sweat it out. The recent directive to ‘get out of your comfy air-conditioned officers and be seen in the field, on the ground,’ from Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has had several officers leave their plush offices and see what is happening on the ground in their departments’ work area.
The diktat from the CM mandates that IAS officers not just go on the visits but also maintain a ‘tour diary’ details of which must be submitted to the Chief Secretary’s office by the 5th of every month. The diary must include specifics of locations visited, observations made, and actions taken, ensuring that the fieldwork is more than just a box-ticking exercise. “Field visits will be a critical factor in evaluating the performance of collectors,” Revanth declared, putting the IAS officers on high alert.
Adding a twist to their already packed schedules, Revanth has also called for these visits to include both scheduled and surprise inspections. And for many IAS officers, the directive marks a significant shift from their usual routines, and the looming deadline for submitting the tour diaries has reportedly put them on tenterhooks. Looks like the days of bureaucrats enjoying the luxuries of office life without getting their boots dusty are over in Telangana, but whether this results in tangible improvements in governance or simply more paperwork remains to be seen.
Te.