At last, the YSR Congress party government in Andhra Pradesh, headed by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has shown the door to senior IAS officer and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams joint executive officer K S Sreenivasa Raju was shown the door from the prestigious religious institution.
The government on Monday transferred Sreenivasa Raju from the TTD JEO post and directed him to report to General Administration Department immediately for further posting. Orders to this effect were issued by chief secretary L V Subrahmanyam.
In his place, the government appointed another IAS officer P Basant Kumar TTD Joint Executive Officer.
Basant Kumar has been serving as Metropolitan Commissioner, Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development, Authority (VMRDA) at present.
Raju, who got into the TTD during the Kiran Kumar Reddy government, managed to continue in the same post despite the bifurcation of combined Andhra Pradesh and two separate governments were formed in Telangana and Andhra.
Sources say Raju had the knack of appeasing whoever is in power. During the Chandrababu Naidu regime between 2014 and 2019, Raju became closer to the power centre by regularly visiting the chief minister and giving him prasadam and other gifts.
There were several allegations against Raju during his tenure in the TTD. Former chief priest Ramana Deekshitulu had alleged that it was Raju who had ordered digging of Sri Vari Potu (kitchen) to unearth hidden treasures at the behest of the then chief minister.
Even after Jagan coming to power in the state, Raju made a desperate bid to retain his position by pampering the chief minister. But Jagan did not show any mercy towards Raju and got him shifted from the post.
