IPS cadre expansion and 2,000 electric buses for Hyderabad a result of Revanth’s Delhi Diplomacy, say officials

As Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy undertakes yet another visit to New Delhi, the earlier engagements with the Central government seems to be yielding tangible results, and two significant breakthroughs are the increase in IPS cadre posts and allocation of large number of electric buses to Telangana.

The Centre has approved 12 additional posts in the IPS cadre for Telangana, raising the sanctioned strength from 139 to 151. In another win, the Central government has allocated 2,000 electric buses to Hyderabad under the PM e-Drive initiative.

The increase in IPS cadre posts is a major achievement for the State, which was a demand since the Bifurcation. Chief Minister made multiple visits to New Delhi and personally submitted detailed letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He argued for more IPS officers, especially considering Hyderabad’s rapid urbanisation, rising cybercrime, and growing concerns over narcotics.

“Hyderabad is one of the top five cities in India. It faces unique law enforcement challenges that require additional IPS resources,” Mr. Revanth Reddy repeatedly conveyed to the Centre. Interestingly, similar efforts were made during the BRS regime but the State’s requests went unheeded. Official sources argue that the recent approval should be seen as a direct result of Mr. Revanth Reddy’s persistent lobbying.

The allocation of 2,000 electric buses to Hyderabad under the PM e-Drive initiative is a huge development given the sheer number of buses. Chief Minister met with Union Minister for Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy and Minister of State Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma on January 16 this year seeking more buses.

The CM pressed for the allocation of electric buses to combat rising pollution in Hyderabad while arguing that electric buses should not displace existing RTC drivers. He also proposed a city-wide retrofitting initiative to convert diesel buses to electric vehicles. The rollout of these electric buses is scheduled to begin by March next year.