Chiru to be given charge of 108 services?

At last, the 108 services will go to former mega star and Congress ally K Chiranjeevi, who has expressed confidence to manage the show quite effectively to serve the poor. A decision to this effect will be taken by the N Kiran Kumar Reddy government shortly, according to informed sources.

Earlier, Mr Chiranjeevi is believed to have impressed upon the Congress rulers that his experiences for running the Blood and Eye Banks would come in good stead for managing the 108 services, which was earlier run by GVK Group, who belied the expectations of the state government.

Differences cropped up between the GVK Group and the government over the responsibility of owning Rs 42 crore as loan, which was availed by GVK’s predecessor Ramalinga Raju from Axis Bank to start the call centre in Medchal in the beginning.

That apart, the GVK Group was averse to bearing even five per cent cost and insisted on government bearing 100 per cent cost of the ambulance services.

Following the developments, a quest for a new management began in earnest.

Now the entry of Mr Chiranjeevi and his party’s merger with the Congress has facilitated all concerned to award the said services to actor turned politician.

The PRP chief is also understood to have discussed the issue with Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad recently.

Besides this, APCC president Botsa Satyanarayana was also met by one of Mr Chiranjeevi’s confidants over the issue.

Mr Satyanarayana appears to have been convinced that it was suitable to entrust the job to Mr Chiranjeevi as a kind of gift as the latter tightened his belt to strengthen the Congress party.

The PCC chief is likely to meet the congress president Sonia Gandhi soon after her return from an undisclosed location following her surgery, and impress upon her to take a positive decision in this regard.