Journalism of Courage
Observing that many civic staff are found absent from their seats during office hours,particularly after lunch break which they extend beyond the allowed half-an-hour,the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has issued a warning.
It has threatened disciplinary action against those stretching the lunch break beyond the allotted time.
In a circular,the PMC general administration had issued specific directions on the working hours in the civic body while introducing the biometric system for attendance. As per instructions,the working hours for civic offices would be 10 am to 5.45 pm and lunch break from 2 pm to 2.30 pm.
Karkar added that though the biometric system has forced the civic staff to be careful about registering attendance,it was observed that most of the staff were not serious sticking to lunch time and liberally extended it from 1.30 pm to 3 pm. He said that the PMC expects the civic employees to be at their work stations during office hours and warnings have accordingly been issued to the staff.
Every staffer will have to follow the half-hour lunch break. A general administration department team and senior civic officers would carry out surprise checks of civic offices to see presence of staff in their seats, Karkar said adding the PMC circular warns of disciplinary action against those not found in their place.
The civic staff would be given a month to get adjusted to the half-hour lunch break,he added. The idea is to bring discipline among civic employees. Surprise visits would lead to action against all found absent from their seats, said Karkar.
Citizens have welcomed the move of the corporation and said it will save them a lot of time and trouble.
Citizen Anirudha Kulkarni said it is difficult to find civic staff in their seats. I had to wait for hours when I had gone to check the status of my application for commercial connection of water supply, he said. Civic activist Vihar Durve said that the civic administration has made a good move and it would yield results.
It would definitely help inculcate discipline in civic staff and address the problem of citizens who make rounds of the civic office, he said. Durve added that the civic administration should not stop at this and should install CCTV in each civic office so that a watch could be kept on movement of civic staff who tend to walk in and out at will.
