Hyderabad: Sangareddy collector K. Manicka Raj has been accused of harassing a woman officer, who has sent a written complaint to Chief Secretary S.P. Singh accusing the collector of humiliating and insulting her. The district rural development officer Aruna has alleged that the collector had set a deadline for her department to plant nine lakh saplings in three days under the Haritha Haaram programme. When she told him that it was not possible, he abused her by comparing her with animals and started obstructing her from attending department meetings. She has threatened to commit suicide if the government does not come to her rescue and chastise the collector.
Ms Aruna also met irrigation minister T. Harish Rao and lodged a complaint against the collector. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is learnt to have taken a serious view of the matter and has asked the chief secretary for an inquiry and a report. “I was transferred from Ranga Reddy to Sangareddy district three months ago. I am a gold medallist from Osmania University and the best performing employee in Medak and Ranga Reddy districts. We succeeded in making Sangareddy district eighth in rank in Haritha Haaram implementation in the state, when it was in the 20th position three months ago.
“When I told the collector about this in the meeting, he belittled us, saying that it was no big achievement. He asked us to plant nine lakh saplings in three days. When I said it was not possible, he abused me and ordered that it should be done. “We could plant about 38,500 saplings in three days. He called me over phone after three days and abused me for not meeting the target,” she said. She alleged that the collector asked her to go on leave and not to attend departmental meetings held by him. The collector was not available for comment. Repeated calls made to him went unanswered.
