With Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in hospital, the usual buzz is missing at Fort St George, the seat of power of the State government. What was noticeable on Monday was that only a modest number of people thronged the Secretariat to present petitions or get their work done. “Whenever the Chief Minister is here, all the officials would be on their toes. Now, you find them relaxed.” That’s how the talk goes at the Secretariat.
Another reason cited is the announcement of the schedule of elections for local bodies, the consequence of which is the enforcement of model code of conduct. The absence of Ministers is attributed to their preoccupation with party work in their respective areas.
“Business as usual”
Notwithstanding all these, the work of the bureaucracy is characterised by the picture of “business as usual”.
According to sources, on Friday, a day after Ms Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospital, word was sent to officials who went to the hospital to carry out their work. On Monday, Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohan Rao and Advisor Sheela Balakrishnan held talks with officials on various issues.
On Monday, only a modest number of people thronged Secretariat to present petitions or get work done
