Delhi chief secy cracks whip on latecomers

New Delhi: Cracking the whip on latecomers, Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash has directed all heads of departments (HoDs) and senior officers to conduct surprise inspections in their respective offices on a weekly basis to check punctuality of their staff. Action will be taken against officials who are coming late, a senior government official said. The chief secretary, who is the bureaucratic head in the Delhi government, has directed all HoDs that punctuality of officials should be maintained in all departments.

The move comes after it was observed that some officials were coming late to their respective offices. “The chief secretary has directed principal secretaries, secretaries and senior officers to undertake surprise checks in their departments’ offices on a weekly basis to check punctuality of their staff,” a senior official said.

Prakash also said that action will be taken against those officials who are coming late. The chief secretary’s office had in the past also directed the general administration department to keep a watch on the attendance of officials and ensure that they mark themselves present in the biometric attendance system. Earlier, Delhi urban development minister Satyendar Jain had asked Mr Prakash in an order last month to take disciplinary action against erring officers.

“In case the officers are not interested in attending the office and/or show the results by the quantum of work produced, there should not be any hesitation in taking disciplinary action, besides deducting their corresponding remuneration,” the order said.

Mr Jain issued the order after a random inspection of attendance of officers of the urban development department, which found that many senior officers were not present at their seats in the morning. “The quantum of work being delivered is very less. Undoubtedly, this is the result of the decision of the officers not to let the government function properly,” the order had said.