19 Jun. 24: A senior IAS officer of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) was transferred just a day after unauthorized structures outside the residence of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy were demolished. The Telangana government took this action on Sunday.
Officials informed PTI that Hemant Bhorkhade, Zonal Commissioner (Khairatabad), was directed to report to the General Administration Department in Hyderabad on Sunday and subsequently transferred. His reassignment reportedly followed the demolition carried out without informing top government officials.
On Saturday, the GHMC demolished certain structures on the pavement adjacent to Reddy’s Lotus Pond residence in Hyderabad. This action came shortly after Reddy stepped down as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. The Telangana Chief Minister’s Office, displeased with the demolition occurring without prior notice, holds the municipal administration portfolio, which is overseen by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
According to reports, the two sheds outside Reddy’s residence, used by his security teams, were deemed obstructions on the narrow road, leading to commuter complaints. A minister from the Telangana government reportedly filed a complaint against these sheds. Bhorkhade, an IAS officer from the 2018 batch, instructed his teams to remove the sheds following this complaint.
The rationale provided was that since Jagan Reddy is no longer a chief minister, there is no need for a large number of security personnel outside his residence. However, higher authorities were allegedly not informed of the decision to demolish the structures.
