Teething troubles for Andhra, Telangana

Call it birth pangs or teething troubles, everything still remains unsettled over a month after Andhra Pradesh and Telangana came apart as two states.

Two new governments are in place but yet there is no tangible sign of governance, more so in Andhra Pradesh, say political observers.

The "order to serve" (in the two states) issued for bureaucrats and other government officers and staff actually seems to be not serving any purpose in the absence of clear allotment orders.

The Union Department of Personnel and Training is yet to complete the process of cadre allocation of All India Services officers (IAS, IPS and IFS) while the Kamalnathan Committee, appointed by the Centre to distribute state government officers and staff, has also not finished its job.

"Officers are simply not motivated to work before the (cadre) division," a Principal Secretary-rank IAS officer remarked.

The Centre has made a "provisional" allotment of 44 IAS and 31 IPS officers, besides those already posted in districts, to Telangana following the bifurcation.

The rest have been given to AP but still some officers have "one foot here and one foot there", holding different posts in the two states.

Almost every Secretary or above rank IAS officer, in both states, is holding charge of more than two departments as part of the "adjustment" process.

Given the "uncertainty", some of the IAS officers are now looking towards New Delhi for a Central posting on deputation.