YSR's anxiety showing up

DESARAJU SURYA
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy is clearly anxious as his flagship Indiramma housing programme seems to be heading nowhere.
Though otherwise he sought to "pamper" the district Collectors on various issues, the Chief Minister could not, however, hide his anxiety over the tardy pace of implementation of Indiramma housing programme, particularly in the urban areas.
At one stage during the review of Indiramma housing programme at the two-day conference on district Collectors, the Chief Minister reportedly vent his ire at Nizamabad and Khammam Collectors for lagging in land acquisition, a senior official who took part in the meeting said. Other Collectors, however, were spared though the progress of phase-I and phase-II of the housing programme was still way below the target. He directed the Collectors to step up land acquisition, particularly in urban areas, by paying
"Barring the housing issue, there was nothing much about other things. The Chief Minister was visibly happy over the state of affairs and patted the Collectors for the 'good work' they have been doing," one senior Collector pointed out. The officers were also happy that the conference, unlike the previous ones, was a "cool" affair.
This being the crucial election year, Rajasekhara Reddy was apparently playing it safe in dealing with the Collectors who, according to him, were the "eyes and ears" of the government. He virtually spoke in a tone that suggested his government's fate was in the Collectors' hands, one district Collector who was attending his fifth conference, observed.
The ministers, who too were part of the conference, had no complaints either as they were "happy" with their respective Collectors.
The Chief Minister had usual instructions to the Collectors on issues like drinking water supply, Arogyasri, filling up of ration dealers, effective implementation of crop insurance scheme and the like.