CM Naidu Pulls Up Ministers For Late Arrivals At Cabinet Meet

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed displeasure over the late arrival of several ministers for the cabinet meeting held at the Secretariat on Thursday.

Visibly upset, the chief minister questioned how governance could run efficiently without basic discipline on the part of ministers. He warned the ministers against such behaviour in future.

After the cabinet completed its agenda, the CM held a separate session with ministers on some pending issues. He asked the cabinet sub-committee to expedite its decision on the Rushikonda Palace project.

Naidu said the committee must review the proposals it received and determine the optimal utilization of the structure. He also directed various departments to resolve the financial hurdles they faced in providing electricity subsidies to handloom weavers.

Expressing concern over the lack of district-level reviews, Naidu questioned why in-charge ministers were not monitoring land allotment and revenue issues. Ground-level problems should be brought to his attention by in-charge ministers—not the other way around, he said.

“I should not be put in a position where I have to review ministers’ performance myself,” he stressed.

Naidu instructed in-charge ministers to conduct district-level reviews on land allocation and pending revenue matters. Questioning the need for ministers to escalate solvable issues to him, the CM asked why such matters were not being resolved at their level.

Several ministers expressed dissatisfaction over the finance department keeping the proposal for free electricity to handloom weavers pending. Responding to complaints that the scheme was being linked to the Surya Ghar programme, the CM directed officials to treat the proposal independently and ensure its immediate implementation.

A major point of discussion was the large number of unoccupied houses in the Jagananna Colonies. Some ministers proposed the cancellation of land pattas of beneficiaries who had not constructed houses. Many such plots were lying unused for years, he said.

However, some other ministers said the plots had already been registered in the beneficiaries’ names, making cancellation legally difficult. Minister K. Atchannaidu brought this to the CM’s notice and the chief secretary confirmed the matter.

Naidu asked ministers to sit together and work out a practical solution. He directed officials to issue notices to the beneficiaries and ascertain whether they intended to construct houses.

Recalling an earlier decision, the CM said that if beneficiaries failed to take up construction, the government would allot three cents of land to new eligible applicants. He reminded ministers that responsibility for facilitating industrial projects and addressing local issues must be shared between the in-charge ministers and local MLAs.