She found the toilets in a horrible state, with many damaged, without water supply and some even without taps. The floors and corridor walls were blotted with pan spits and littered with cigarette butts. Obviously, the staff and visitors were smoking in the corridors and, in the absence of dustbins, throwing the waste around.

“Is this a head office or a public road or a public urinal?” a furiouslooking Mayor asked the officials.

The was in for more shock when she found wires dangling from every nook and corner of the floors.

The decorations made for the Dasara and Deepavali last year were still in place, worn-out, faded and dusty and that spoke of the staff ’s attitude towards office maintenance, she said.

She found a large number of almirahs obstructing passage in the corridors and no proper notice boards in the sections. Tender notices of 2004 were still pasted on the boards. Almost in all sections, she found heaps of old papers bundled in cloth and gathering dust.

Karthika Reddy gave the officials one week to clear the mess and rectify all the problems and warned them of stringent action in the event of failure. She also wanted the office to be given a fresh coat of paint.