Lucknow: The “bada sahibs” (bureaucrats) in Uttar Pradesh are sleep deprived and overworked, yet still racing against time.
They can no longer enjoy leisure hours at work, go for business lunches that end in the evening, send their wives and children shopping in their official cars and invite friends over for dinner.
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, in the past 42 days, has turned the lives of bureaucrats topsy-turvy.
Senior bureaucrats who sauntered into their offices at 11.30 am and announced lunch time at 1.30 pm, are now seen huffing and puffing to work at 9 am on the chief minister’s orders.
Lunch breaks and afternoon “power naps” are things of the “glorious” past and office work goes on well after the sun has set.
They can no longer play truant from office and enjoy afternoon shows at multiplexes because Mr Adityanath has started contacting them on landline phones.
Mr Adityanath spends the day meeting people, attending programmes and his official work begins after 5 pm. The recent presentations of various departments have continued till 1 am on most days.
Ministers, officers, junior staff, peons and security staff also remained on duty till Mr Adityanath leaves office.
“I am diabetic and cannot take this hectic lifestyle. I have been reaching home around 2 am and then I’m expected back in office at 9 am,” a principal secretary-rank Indian Administrative Service officer said. The officer declined to be named since the matter is sensitive.
“During the meetings we are only served snack and there is no dinner break. I have to miss my insulin shots because of this. My family is asking me to take voluntary retirement because these working hours will ruin my health,” he said.
Another bureaucrat said he has been sleep-deprived since Mr Adityanath took over and has developed high blood pressure.
“This sudden change in lifestyle is wreaking havoc on our health. The chief minister is young and has been used to this routine, but we are not accustomed to it,” the second officer said. Mr Adityanath has ordered that officials will be entitled to only one official car.
Till now, most bureaucrats kept multiple cars and their families used them.
The junior staff — clerks, peons, drivers and guards — are also tired. A joint delegation of government employee unions met chief secretary Rahul Bhatnagar on Tuesday and asked him to specify how many working hours they are expected to put in.
Mr Adityanath had said those who cannot give 20 hours a day were free to walk away.
“A government employee is expected to put in eight hours of work daily, but the chief minister is pushing it too far,” a leader of an employees’ union said. He also declined to be named since the matter is private.
“Who will be responsible if an employee suffers a heart attack due to this work pressure? We have family responsibilities and cannot work for 20 hours a day,” the person said.
Ministers in the UP government are also burdened with work, but are in no position to complain, people familiar with the matter said.
“Since the day of the swearing-in, I have not had dinner with my family. We are either attending meetings or meeting people,” a minister said, asking not to be identified since the matter concerned his government’s policy.
“If there is any time left, we are made to sweep offices. We do not even have beacon lights on our cars,” the minister said.
While UP bureaucrats are trying to cope with work, social media sees humour. A parody song that goes Afsar, Babu Daud Lagaye, Ki Yogi Aa Gaya Hai based on the song Hame Kya Ho Gaya Gai from Heer Ranjha is doing the rounds.
