Resentment is brewing among the class IV employees of Uttarakhand secretariat against the order of secretariat administration to open the offices at 8 am to enable timely cleaning of the offices. In an order directed to all Joint secretaries, deputy secretaries, under secretaries and section officers, the secretary in-charge of secretariat administration, Harbans Singh Chug said that due to delay in opening of the offices it has been noticed that the cleaning work gets affected and delayed. Chug said that it is seen that the cleaning work gets completed by 10.30 am. In the order the head of the offices have been asked to ensure that the offices are opened at 8 am so that the work in offices starts at 9.30. “The order means that we should come for duty at 8 am while other staff would resume work at 9.30 am. We will protest against the order which is discriminatory in nature,’’ said an agitated class IV.
It is worth mentioning here that the sanitation work in the secretariat is outsourced and the cleaning of the offices usually starts after 9.30 am when the office staff arrives. The delay in cleaning affects the working schedule of the secretariat.