Hyderabad, Jun 1 (IANS): Former Chief Secretary of combined Andhra Pradesh, S.V.Prasad succumbed to coronavirus at a private hospital here on Tuesday.

The 1975 batch IAS officer was admitted to hospital two days ago along with his wife.

Prasad was appointed the Chief Secretary in 2010 when K. Rosaiah was the Chief Minister. He served on the post for two years.

Popular as a suave and soft-spoken person in bureaucratic circles, he served as the PrincipalSsecretary during the tenure of several Chief Ministers including N. Janardhan Reddy, Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy, N. Chandrababu Naidu and Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

Prasad, who began his career as Sub-Collector of Nellore district, later served as Collector of Kadapa and Visakhapatnam districts. During his 36-year-long career, he headed key departments.

Known as a non-controversial officer, he also served as the Vigilance Commissioner.

Chief Justice of India Justice N. V. Ramna, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and his Telangana counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao condoled the death of the former bureaucrat. They conveyed their condolences to members of the bereaved family.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and former Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep shock and grief over the death of Prasad.

He recalled that as a senior bureaucrat, Prasad always stood in the front to lead all others in making the official programmes a grand success.

In a statement, Naidu said that the loss of Prasad would leave an irreparable void.

He said Prasad rendered exemplary services as the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh and as the Vigilance Commissioner. He had also played a key role in strengthening of the institutions in his capacity as the chairman of AP Genco as the vice-chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC).

Telugu superstar and former Union Minister K. Chrainjeevi also expressed his shock over Prasad's death.