When the official machinery remained engaged with the visit of the President Pranab Mukherjee to the state on Friday those working in the secretariat were taken by a surprise as the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, who was supposed to be at Jolly Grant airport to receive the President, embarked on a surprise inspection.
As he started checking the presence of the officials the news spread like wildfire with the officials, either on their way to the office or whiling away time away from their seats , being seen scurrying back in panic.
The CM was shocked during the inspection, finding that several section officers were not on their seats. He asked SAD to install biometric attendance system in the secretariat promptly. Interestingly, the system when enforced would be applicable for all officers, including the IASs. He made it a point that the officials must turn up at 9.30 sharp am and must be found on the seats till 6 pm while warning of disciplinary action against those who would be found not conforming to the norms.
As the CM visited different sections of the secretariat he found that the section officers of several sections of important departments like home, medical health, higher education and personnel were absent from their respective seats. Besides, several reviewing officers, assistant reviewing officers and computer operators were also found missing. He received another shock when he, the national convener of Namami Gange, found sanitation at the sections in a poor condition. Besides, the officials records were not found in order during the inspection.
He sounded displeased over these anomalies and asked the Chief Secretary to issue warning to all such section officers who remained elusive during the inspection with a stern note to be more attentive to their assigned duties. He said that he would keep embarking on such surprise inspections frequently in the coming days to stop the officers from trashing duties. He also asked the principal secretary and the secretary to go for such surprise inspections themselves in their respective sections. This aside, he stressed on the files in the right order being maintained and on the sanitation of the secretariat being improved.
It is learnt from sources that the CM embarked on the inspection at a time when he was supposed to be heading for the airport to receive the President. His convoy reached the secretariat at 9.35 am, a time which usually sees the officials either parking their vehicles or on their leisurely way to the office. “like normal days, they were moving leisurely to the office on Friday too. However, the news of the CM being on the inspection venture made them scamper to their seats. After the CM left they were found talking among themselves with sombre faces whether the CM would continue to shock them out of their stupor in the coming days too,” said a close aide of the Chief Minister.