Is Telangana facing a bureaucratic rupture in the state? An inkling of it is coming to the fore with some senior IAS officers, occupying key positions in different departments in the state, reportedly forming an exclusive WhatsApp group to discuss internal matters.

The need to create such a group is causing consternation in a section of bureaucracy as there is a feeling among others that these officers are virtually influencing administrative processes like movement of files, granting approvals, release of funds, etc., based on discussions in this group.

Having closed door discussions on government policies and actions between like-minded officers are not uncommon, but this kind of activities raise doubts. The development is considered crucial as this group has been formed by only those officers who hold crucial posts. A few of them are serving in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and in departments headed by senior Ministers.

These officers are said to be using this group to share views, advices and wisdom on important matters and a decision is taken after arriving at a consensus on a file, or the release of funds, while other officers and subordinates remain in the dark.

The fact that the members of this core group are predominantly from the North, indicates that officers have split on regional basis. Needless to point out that it has not gone down well with senior officers from various departments who get excluded from important decision-making and policy discussions.

To make matters worse there are reports of a cold war between some ministers and IAS officers and it is being rumoured that this group might try to scuttle the files sent by those ministers. If there is a substance in this apprehension, the issue might lead to a big problem for the state.