If Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has his way, senior bureaucrat Chirumamilla Venkanna Chowdary is likely to be appointed as the additional joint executive officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, a key position after the executive officer.
In fact, there is no additional JEO post in the TTD. There is only a JEO post which is usually given to an IAS officer.
But the new post of Addnl EO was created by the previous Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government to accommodate retired Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDES) officer A V Dharma Reddy, who became all powerful and later became the EO with full additional charge.
The post has not been abolished, but is still continuing even in the present NDA government regime, as Naidu wanted to appoint his favourite officer in the post. Now, there are reports that Venkanna Chowdary will be brought into the post.
A 2005-batch Indian Revenue Service officer hailing from Macherla in Palnadu district, Venkanna Chowdary is presently working as Commissioner of Customs in Vijayawada.
Known for his soft nature and efficient administration, Venkanna Chowdary has gained recognition as a friendly officer.
However, Venkanna Chowdary is also not above controversies. He joined the Andhra Pradesh service in 2016 on deputation and continued for nearly three years as the managing director of AP Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC).
Venkanna Chowdary was considered the blue-eyed officer of Naidu and there were allegations of irregularities in the mining department during his regime.
Soon after Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress party came to power, he was was shifted from APMDC and directed to report in GAD.
The Jagan government ordered a Vigilance and Enforcement inquiry against Venkanna Chowdary, even before the inquiry began, he was relieved from the state service and he quietly returned to the parent department.
This had apparently made Jagan angry and he ordered suspension of two officials in the GAD who had relieved Venkanna Chowdary from the service, ignoring the orders of a vigilance inquiry against him.
Now that the Naidu government is back in the saddle, Venkanna Chowdary is all set to be back in the AP service again and is likely to be appointed as additional JEO in the TTD.
