'Work pressure' drives Nellore district civil supplies officer to attempt suicide

NELLORE: Nellore district civil supplies corporation manager Krishna Reddy on Monday attempted suicide in his office room following a review meeting with Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy. His office staff noticed him trying to hang himself from the ceiling fan and rushed him to hospital, where his condition is stable.

The officer was reportedly under severe work pressure in the wake of targets fixed for paddy procurement in the district. Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy and other officials visited him in the hospital and enquired about his health. According to sources, Krishna Reddy, after returning from the review meeting was moody.

“We have been facing a lot of work pressure and also with review meetings with both the ministers in the district. We have to attend review meetings even on Sundays and also late in the nights on working days. Yet, MLAs are ill-treating us and scolding us for no valid reason,” a senior officer told TNIE on condition of anonymity. Ministers Chandramohan Reddy and P Narayana visit the district almost every weekend and conduct review meetings, which often continue late into the night, the officer said.  Choppa Ravindra Babu, State vice-president, AP Revenue Services Association, echoed the same views and said they were ready to take workload but not pressure.