Eventful 100 days of KCR

Undeterred, he went about the job to a plan

Hyderabad: Tuesday will mark the first major milestone in the political life of K Chandrashekar Rao, who completes 100 days in office as the first Chief Minister of Telangana State.

It has been an eventful period for the man who steered the Telangana agitation that eventually bore fruit with the creation of the country’s 29th State. The dream of millions of people were realised on June 2 when he took the oath amid hopes and an overwhelming sense of optimism.

Of course, there have been bouquets and brickbats in equal measure, although the achievements in the three months gone by indicate that he is working according to the administrative roadmap he has devised.

There have been some significant highs, which carried the Brand KCR signature in its totality.

If the ambitiously carved out Mega Intensive Household Survey is a pioneering effort, despite the corresponding ifs and buts that were debated, he broke away from established traditions by hoisting the national flag at Golconda Fort on Independence Day and not at the otherwise regular Parade Ground in Secunderabad. It was his way of giving a Telangana touch to the affair.

The crackdown against illegal constructions was another landmark decision taken by him, albeit amid disgruntlement and sharp criticism. What stood out has been the force with which he went about the implementations undeterred.

For instance, the intensive household survey nearly became the butt of ridicule and actually went to the court but Rao managed to accomplish it after the court gave the green signal with minor alternations to the original plan.

The August 19 exercise did not go unnoticed as it caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who sought details when the Chief Minister met him in New Delhi last week.

If Y S Rajasekhar Reddy won several hearts with his hugely successful Arogysri scheme, KCR won overall approval with his flagship scheme -- three-acre land distribution to economically poor Dalits, which began on Independence Day that saw 3000 acres being distributed.

Another achievement of KCR was to take 43 decisions during the marathon six-hour Cabinet meeting on July 16. The decisions included implementation of loan waiver for farmers and sops to government employees, unemployed youth, weaker sections and minorities, regularisation of contract jobs, replacing fee reimbursement with FAST applicable only for Telangana students and introduction of Kalyanalakshmi scheme through which Rs 50,000 would be given to SC and ST girls as marriage assistance.

Influenced by the impact they created abroad, and his avowed determination to transform Hyderabad into Singapore, Rao’s ‘safe and smart city’ vision saw the police personnel getting an ultra-modern look with sleek two and four-wheelers coming as welcome perks.

If the ‘single window policy free of graft’ floored industry captains, the youth are sure to get hooked on to the 4G Wi-Fi enabled zone that Hyderabad will become by the end of the year.

A major decision taken during this period has been the creation of a water Grid at an estimated cost of Rs 25,000 crore. This grid, modelled along the lines of the one in existence in Gujarat, will use 160 TMC of water from Godavari and Krishna rivers.

In another significant development, the KCR government declared Bathukamma and Bonalu as state festivals while birth anniversaries of eminent sons of the soil P V Narasimha Rao (June 28) and Kaloji Narayana Rao (September 9) would be observed as State functions.

Given the penchant of politicians, there were bad vibes with the AP government, particularly with regard to issues like cancellation of PPAs and fee reimbursement. It was only at the behest of the common Governor, ESL Narasimhan , that peace could be brokered and a semblance of normalcy restored.

Although, he is hitting the right chords with regard to sports, the appointment of Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador of TS did run into rough weather with fellow-sportspersons. Honouring the Telugu biddas who conquered Mt Everest was a praiseworthy effort.

Alas there were tragic incidents including when 24 engineering students met a watery death in Himachal Pradesh across Beas River and the tragic train-bus collision in Medak district’s Maisapet in which nearly 20 school children besides bus driver were killed. However, matured with his first 100 days in office, the Chief Minister is already embarking on making the coming months more productive in his bid to make Hyderabad a model Capital city.