One year on, Revanth Reddy finds seat really hot

It is not easy being A Revanth Reddy these days, especially when each of the major portfolios he has kept to himself are in the news almost every day for all the wrong reasons.

From the Home department, which is facing flak for the deterioration of the law and order situation in the State, the Education department, which is under fire after the frequent incidents of food poisoning and subsequent deaths of students, to the Municipal Administration and Urban Development department, which has been in in the news for the protests against land acquisitions, demolitions by HYDRAA and the controversies over the Musi riverfront development project – all are under Revanth Reddy, with the non-stop controversies posing a question on his capabilities as an administrator.

To begin with, desecration of idols in different temples, especially those in Hyderabad and other parts, are a poor reflection of the law and order situation in the State. Since August 26, at least nine incidents of idols desecrated in temples and vandalizing of places of worship have been reported in the State capital and its suburbs alone. As if these were not enough, the alleged attack on Vikarabad Collector Prateek Jain and officials, the one on Nirmal RDO Ratna Kalyani and frequent complaints of police highhandedness and custodial torture, some of these even leading to suicides and suicide attempts in some districts, have all botched up the image of the Home department.

As for the Education department, frequent incidents of food



poisoning in government-run schools, residential and otherwise too, across the State have become a major issue. Shockingly, there were three food poisoning cases in the same Zilla Parishad High School at Maganoor within one week! Sixteen-year-old C Shailaja from Wankidi of Asifabad and 13-year-old Ch Prashant from Bhongir are just two among the lives claimed by what the Telangana High Court called ‘utter callousness’ on part of the State government.

The fact that these happened under the watch of Revanth Reddy, and more significantly, many of those in his home district of Mahabubnagar, raise concern over the manner in which the department is being managed.

On the other hand, Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) demolishing residential structures in and around Hyderabad evoked sharp criticism, with the High Court too rapping the agency for ‘selective demolition’. Demolitions of huts and homes of low and middle income groups, while palatial buildings of VIPs, including that of the Chief Minister brother Tirupati Reddy, were spared and the razing of poor people’s houses along the River Musi riverbed as part of the riverfront project all saw the Municipal Administration and Urban Development ministry held by the Chief Minister coming under fire.

As he completes one year holding these ministries, whether Revanth Reddy can undo the damage that has alienated his government from the public, despite its claims of ‘Praja Palana’ remains a question worth Rs.1.5 lakh crore.