Unauthorised absence of employees in Government offices has become a routine affair in Ganjam for which implementation of biometric signature system at the entry point of every Government office is the need of the hour, opined locals here.
According to information available, a large number of employees were found absent in their duties in Ganjam block on Saturday last. Only when some media persons drew the attention of the Ganjam Collector to the situation, the Collector ordered the Project Director (PD) to probe the matter.
The PD sent one Executive Engineer and DPM Manoj Patra to Ganjam Block Office to investigate the case. Both the investigating officers reportedly seized the attendance registrar, leave applications and other important papers for scrutiny. Notably, 17 out of 56 employees working in the Ganjam Block Office were found absent on the day.
According to Block Development Officer Saheb Panigrahi, out of 17 only two had submitted their leave applications. It may be mentioned here that, September 17, 18 and 20 were public holidays while September 19 (Saturday) was a working day. Taking advantage of the three holidays in a week and the liberal administration, these employees who had been to their homes to enjoy the off days with their family members deliberately did not turn up for their duties. The district administration is contemplating to initiate action against the errant officials after the matter is fully investigated, sources said.