Somesh Kumar and his filmi mantra

He is a senior IAS officer, known for his upright and no-nonsense bearing attitude. More importantly, this Telangana State bureaucrat commands respect for his genuine sincerity towards the discharge of his administrative functions wherever he is posted.

For all his workaholic approach, Somesh Kumar, has a softer side to him, albeit one which is perhaps only known to those close to him.

Can you believe it, the tough-talking officer is a big film buff! Yes, watching clean and good Bollywood and Tollywood family entertainers are his stress-busters. He is believed to get rejuvenated over the weekends watching films. A bigger high, like a typical movie-goer, is that he reviews performances of the star cast, music directors and the director.

The latest is that the Principal Excise and Commercial Taxes Secretary liked the acting prowess, including dialogue delivery, of Sai Pallavi, the lead lady in the newest Telugu blockbuster, ‘Fidaa’. The official was also inspired by Director Sekhar Kammula's screenplay talent and the unique locales where the film was shot.

Well, that is not all. Somesh Kumar is believed to exhort junior IAS officials and other subordinates to watch films every weekend and report for duty on Monday mind fully refreshed in order to perform their duties well on the working days.

‘Powerful’ shake-up on the cards

The Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd. (SPDCL) has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, recently. The key player in carrying out several pet and ambitious projects of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is presently caught on the throes of a staff unrest that resulted in power engineers going on a flash hunger-strike.

The murmur in bureaucratic circles is that SPDCL is reportedly close to being rudderless with G Raghuma Reddy, ostensibly accused of triggering the flashpoint, likely to be eased out of the office of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) much before the tenure ends in November.

Over animated discussions, senior officials are certain that the Chief Minister, who considers SPDCL as a crucial arm in his scheme of affairs, in his bid to ensure its smooth conduct, is contemplating to bring in a trustworthy officer, who can stem the rot. The latest is that he is zeroing in on Smita Sabharwal, currently Special Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office, as the next CMD of SPDCL.

Reviewing for the heck of it

Ministers holding review meetings with senior officials to take stock of the progress of works and their performances is a routine administrative affair. But, review meetings of a particular Cabinet Minister come across as a different proposition altogether.

Starting from April 16, the Minister in question has been holding monthly review meetings with Roads and Buildings and National Highway authority. The agenda is invariably the same-preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and action plans for laying 1,622 kms long roads against a projected cost of Rs 4,470 crore. However, every meeting sees the Minister spitting venom at the officials as there has been no headway in terms of execution of works.

According to a senior bureaucrat, this anger of the Minister will remain so for at least another year. His contention is that policy differences between the State and Central agencies would take that much time before full implementation can actually transpire.