Impasse broken, GHMC staff to resume duties

Hyderabad, April 9 (INN): The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation officers and employees are expected to end their agitation and attend to their duties from Sunday following an assurance from Municipal Administration Minister M Maheedhar Reddy.

Telangana Gazetted Officers' Association president B Srinivas Goud who met the Minister in his chambers at the Secretariat on Saturday was given an assurance to the effect that in future no incident, such as one occurred on April 8, at GHMC General Council meeting, would take place.

Later Mr Goud told media persons that he would discuss the issue and convey what the Minister had assured with his colleagues and come to an understanding keeping in view the 'service' aspect of the GHMC.

The Minister who interacted with the media in his chambers, stressed on the need to maintain a good working atmosphere in order to deliver service to the people.

'The service part is important and not the officers or the Corporators,' Mr Maheedhar Reddy said. 'The Corporators are elected representatives and the officers are 'selected' and together they all are supposed to serve the people. That is the motto of our government,' he said. Further what transpired between the two groups was restricted to the four walls of the Council Hall, he said.

The Minister clarified over the incident but refused to divulge details about the 'agreement' adding that it was just like a family affair and there was no room for any misunderstanding. The Minister, who was closeted with the Principal Secretary Appa Rao for discussing the issue threadbare informed, 'We have tried to reduce the gravity of the situation as to facilitate a solution.'

Fielding a question, Mr Maheedhar Reddy said that the government would evolve a methodology and a law to avoid such incidents. One or two Corporators were involved in the incident and that was not a serious issue.

Though the issue was small in nature it was magnified and blown out of proportions and appealed to the media persons to cooperate for defusing the situation.

'The idea is to provide better service and efforts were also on to give quality service by his department,' the Minister said. 'Our emphasis was on service part,' Mr Maheedhar Reddy said and ruled out any 'personal' interference by anybody.

He stated that one (Corporators) is a contributory post and another is an official post and made it clear that they were expected to give a good service to the citizens.

Asked about the functioning of the Standing Committee earlier, Mr Maheedhar Reddy stated that old issues need not be raked up, as it would mean a post-mortem which is not reasonable. 'We will evolve a good 'system' which would ensure better service to the tax-payers in future,' the Minister said.