It has been more than nine years since one has heard about enthusiastic and young IAS officer of Telangana cadre Kata Amrapali.
The energetic and bubbly IAS officer, who served as the collector of Warangal in the early days of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (then Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS) government of K Chandrasekhar Rao, earned the respect and adulation from the people.
She hogged the media limelight by trekking hills and jogging on the streets, besides her people-friendly approach. So much so that the people even made a clay idol of her during the Ganesh festivities and worshipped it.
Naturally, the KCR government did not like any officer or leader gaining personal image. So, when K T Rama Rao visited Warangal, he pulled her up and admonished openly; later, she was pushed into a loop line post in the GHMC.
Subsequently, Amrapali moved to the Centre following a call from the Prime Minister’s Office and she left for Delhi on central deputation in the PMO. After that, nobody heard her name.
Now that the BRS is out of power and the Congress party forming the government, Amrapali is back into Telangana. Her central deputation has also come to an end and she quickly used the opportunity.
She met chief minister Revanth Reddy the other day and expressed her willingness to come back to Telangana. On Friday, she has been posted in the all important post of joint commissioner of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).
Interestingly, another senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal, who had been calling the shots in the Chief Minister’s Office during the KCR regime, who has been staying away from her duties for the last one week, reconciled to the reality.
She apparently made an attempt to go to Delhi on deputation and when her attempts failed, she issued a statement on X saying she is ready to serve the Telangana state in whatever position she can.
“I see some news channels have reported a fake news that I am going for central deputation, which is widely circulated,” she wrote.
“It is totally false and baseless. As an IAS officer of Telangana cadre, I will continue to serve and execute whatever responsibility the Government of Telangana deems fit for me,” she added.
On Thursday, she quietly appeared at the office of panchayat raj and rural development ministry, where minister D Anasuya Seethakka was taking charge. She introduced herself and helped the minister assume charge.
Another key officer Sailaja Ramayyar, who played an active role in the ministry of textiles when K T Rama Rao was its minister, has also got key position as the principal secretary of medical and health. Sailaja is wife of state IT and industries minister D Sridhar Babu.