Hyderabad: The state government is planning to send retired officials, who are currently working on extensions, back home. This process will start with the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) department in April and will later apply to other departments. Reports suggest that over 1,000 retired officers are working on a contract basis across various sectors.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has received complaints that many retired officials, hired as consultants, liaison officers, and section incharges during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, continue to hold these positions while receiving salaries. Among these, the MAUD department has the highest number, with around 200 retired officials reportedly working in key offices like the Directorate of MAUD, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).
There are concerns that some of these officials, appointed under the earlier regime, might be leaking important information to senior BRS leaders. Sources say their contracts are due to expire on March 31, and the Chief Minister has directed the MAUD Secretary to terminate these services starting April 1.
This action will not stop with the MAUD department. Similar steps are expected in other areas such as the Civil Supplies Commissionerate, Education, Irrigation, and the Assembly Secretariat. In particular, retired deputy secretaries in the Assembly Secretariat are said to still hold significant influence, which is reportedly creating obstacles for regular employees.
To address this issue, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari has sent circulars to department secretaries. She has asked them to review the roles of retired officials and submit a detailed report to the government by the end of March.
