Yet again, unhappy city ministers have thrown a spanner in the works of the city cops by blocking the transfer of two inspectors whom they found were not to their liking. As a result, for the last week or so, Banjara Hills and Afzalgunj police stations do not have inspectors. The inspectors are in charge of the police stations, and in their absence, routine functioning of the police stations get hampered.

It was on May 3 that in-charge police commissioner Anurag Sharma reshuffled 14 inspectors. While the new inspectors posted to 12 other police stations took charge during the next few days, one city minister protested the posting of P Sridhar as Banjara Hills inspector while his ministerial colleague opposed the posting of V Narasimha Reddy as Afzalgunj inspector. The two ministers complained that they were not consulted over the postings. But it is a well known that they dabble in real estate and want only their men for key city police posts, said sources.

With DGP V Dinesh Reddy away from the city and Hyderabad commissioner A K Khan returning to the state capital only on Friday morning after his training abroad, the top cops were forced to advise the two inspectors not to take charge of their new postings in view of the protests by the ministers. As a result, Sridhar continues to hold on to his old job at Trimulgherry while Narasimha is still working in the detective department under the Central Crime Station.

In the meantime, the two police stations remain headless as incumbent inspectors M Sudershan and K Chandrasekhar Reddy of Banjara Hills and Afzalgunj respectively have relinquished their charges and taken over the new postings assigned to them.

According to sources, Khan had cleared the postings of the 14 inspectors and forwarded it to the DGP's office before proceeding on his training. Anurag Sharma effected the transfers after the clearance. Apparently, the DGP's policy is that those inspectors who have served in a law and order posting for over a decade in the city should be moved out and new officers posted in their place. "The transfer of the 14 inspectors was made on the basis of this policy," said the sources.

With the DGP slated to return to the city by the week-end, it remains to be seen whether his writ would prevail or whether the two city ministers will have the last laugh.