Days after a Statewide search operation in Punjab jails and mid-night surprise raids at Police stations, it was the turn of the Government offices on Tuesday.
Tightening noose around late comers and to curb absenteeism in the Government offices, a surprise checking was conducted in five state government’s Directorate offices on Tuesday morning in which whooping 212 officers and employees were found absent.
“Today checking of Head offices of five departments at Chandigarh and Mohali is conducted wherein 212 officers and employees have been found absent,” said a Government spokesperson.
The surprise checkings of the government offices came close on the heels of the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal’s midnight raids, on the intervening night of May 5 and 6, at police stations of three districts to check the alertness of the Punjab Police. Besides, statewide search operation was carried on Sunday across state jails to check presence of prohibited items. The results were astonishing.
The Tuesday surprise checks are being seen as an attempt to maintain discipline for ‘good governance’. “The main aim of these checkings is just to maintain discipline and ensure that the officers and employees take their job seriously. They are here to serve people and it is an attempt to ensure that they remain present in their offices to address their issues,” said a Government spokesperson.
Surprisingly, the staff of various offices were reported to be caught napping while many of them were not available in their offices at 9.15 am, although they were supposed to reach the office by 9 am.
The raids were conducted keeping in view the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s commitment towards approach of people to officers and employees and redressing people’s issue in time.
The government spokesperson stated that to ensure the presence of government officers and employees in government offices, instructions were issued following which checking of local Bodies Department Directorate, Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Agriculture Department, Soil Conservation Department and SC and BC Welfare Department was conducted.
During the checking of all these departments, 212 employees were found absent, said the spokesperson, adding that the teams of vigilance, local governance and local coordination committees conducted these checking and the same will continue in future too.
Giving details, spokesperson said that during the checking of local Bodies Department Directorate wherein of the 171 officers and employees, 75 were found absent.
The local governance department led officers conducted checking of Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board wherein 30 employees and officers were found absent. Similarly, the special secretary local governance department conducted checking at Kheti Bhawan in Mohali’s Phase VI wherein 22 officers of joint, deputy, and assistant director and 55 others were found absent.
In Kheti Bhawan itself, during checking of soil conservation department 16 officers and employees were found absent. The local coordination department’s additional secretary conducted surprise checking in SC and BC Welfare Department wherein 14 officers and employees were found absent.