Holiday at work? Mayor visits BBMP office, finds 50 per cent staff missing

Everybody is familiar with the way a government office functions. So much so that sometimes you adjust your schedules accordingly, because you know how an office functions. In government offices, the appearance is such that employees do not work like the way they do in corporate sector.

The alleged catch phrase that goes along with bureaucracy is that  'government work is god’s work'  and hence this must the reason for BBMP officers in some zones have left 'god' to work for public. At least this was what greeted Mayor G Padmavathi when she went on a visit to the BBMP office. Angered by this attitude of BBMP officers, G Padmavathi has asked for service records and said she will place officers under suspension for dereliction of duty.

Out of 300-odd employees in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike head office, only 170 were present and 130 employees were absent. "There is no register to check the in-time and out-time. The biometric system is not working as a result a register system is in place. There is no one to check the performance. I think the employees have left their work to god," said Mayor sarcastically.

She immediately summoned Special Commissioner SG Raveendra and sought the details of all the employees who were missing from their seat for long hours and has directed that either one-day leave be deducted or the pay for one working day.

She was told by few workers that, any work related to land, special reports, road infrastructure details in BBMP's annexure building are not easy to get through as there are no officials on the seat. "These employees take monthly salary without fail but do not work. All the previous complaints against these employees will be probed and their promotion will be held back. If these people do not work, public will think elected representatives like corporators and MLAs are not working," she added.

BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad who has taken this complaint seriously has issued a circular to all the zonal commissioners to crack a whip on the staff who do not work and absent themselves. "In case the officers and staff have come on deputation, we will send them back to parent department and take new staff on contract till fresh appointments take place. The City administration is dependent on BBMP staff, if they don't work, the system will collapse," said Manjunath Prasad

• BBMP
• government office
• Bengaluru Mayor
• Padmavathi
• BBMP commissioner