One of the major allegations raised by the TDP and JanaSena against the previous YCP regime is the large-scale misuse of the Andhra Pradesh Fibernet department. They claim that the YCP government turned the department into a political shelter by appointing party workers in bulk and paying them crores in salaries annually from the state exchequer.
After the NDA government came to power, a well-educated lawyer and TDP spokesperson, GV Reddy, was appointed as the head of the Fibernet program. However, his tenure was short-lived due to the rampant corruption left behind by the YCP regime and the deeply embedded officials who still held loyalty to YCP.
This was one of the main reasons why GV Reddy publicly clashed with a senior IAS officer in the Fibernet department. But Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, known for his bureaucratic diplomacy, advised GV Reddy to be more patient and composed. This eventually led to Reddy stepping away from his role and unfortunately, upset GV Reddy quits politics.
Now, Chief Minister Chandrababu is gaining firsthand insight into the mismanagement of the Fibernet department during the YCP era, following a recent review meeting.
For example, during the previous TDP government, the department functioned efficiently with just 130 staff members and managed to maintain 8 lakh active connections. But under the YCP regime, the workforce was inflated nearly tenfold to 1,350 employees. Most of these new hires were party loyalists drawing salaries from public funds.
Shockingly, the number of active connections dropped from 8 lakh to just 4 lakh under YCP’s tenure, clearly exposing the scale of corruption. This revelation reportedly shocked Chandrababu himself.
Ironically, this is exactly what GV Reddy tried to highlight during his time in office, but he was misunderstood back then. Now, as the reality unfolds, it appears that Chief Minister Chandrababu is finally recognizing the importance of the deep-rooted reforms that Reddy once demanded.
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