Hyderabad: The Telangana government’s meeting with industry associations was expected to be one of several boring government industry interactions that one can see across India. However, by the time it got over, the meeting heralded a new darling of industry: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.
During the unprecedented five-hour long interaction, the Chief Minister listened to industry representative attentively making notes; but occasionally floored his audience by his interventions.
After the announcement of VAT rationalisation and power fine waiver, all industrialists gave a standing ovation to him for his quick decision-making.
In a no-nonsense style, Mr Rao told industrialists to be specific on their requirements and avoid statements laced with sycophancy. “I have decided meet industrialists to understand their problems.
So I request you to be highlight your problems. So let’s not talk gas (sic),” Mr Rao said.
Apart from making notes of suggestions, he noted down the names of speakers. Some of speakers got his congratulations for good advice, while a few got reprimanded for testing patience of the audience. “Some of our friends get a great boost from applause. But we should know that applause could have two meanings. It is used both to encourage the speaker and also to politely tell them to sum it up,” Mr Rao said making a packed ballroom burst out laughing.
Genome Valley got its nine-year-old request for a fire station cleared within two minutes.
A representative from the pharmaceutical companies got corrected by the Chief Minister when he claimed that drug companies are not polluting the ground water. “I know a firm that pumped in effluents using borewell, polluting the ground water of nearby areas,” Mr Rao said.
He, however, was quick to assuage the hurt caused his plainspeak by saying that it is equally important to encourage the pharma industry.
