Another failed reform

It is not surprising that the reform, introduced to prevent the employees in the administrative center of Secretariat from loitering around according to their wish, failed at the beginning itself. It was figured that the reform would end abruptly when the employees, regardless of their party affiliation, came forward in an organized manner against the new system. It is currently being considered whether the access system to control the arrival and departure of employees will have to be completely abandoned. All organizations, including the ruling party union, are opposing this system, prompting the government to rethink its decision. In any case, the failure of the well-intentioned system at the testing stage itself is a setback for sure. About two crores rupees will go down the drain without benefiting anyone.

Strict restrictions on arrivals and departures were imposed to increase the efficiency of the staff and to provide services to the people in a speedy manner. The employees who arrive in the morning to register their attendance, and then roam around as they please, are seen not just in the Secretariat but in all government offices. They do not care about the files piling up either. Pending files increase in every office due to the negligence of employees. Special drives only for the settlement of pending files are conducted from time to time when the number of files increases uncontrollably like this.

Before introducing any new reform, a proper assessment of its feasibility is required. The access system failed at the start itself because it was brought in without such an assessment. Apart from managing arrivals and departures, steps were also taken to connect it with 'SPARK', which deals with employee payroll. According to this system, the salary will be reduced if the chair is left unoccupied for more than the specified time. The reformers should have understood the reality that any arrangement involving a reduction in pay will not get the approval of the employees. Employees do not leave the office for their personal needs alone. They may have to leave their seats for official purposes as well. The employees are worried that if the time spent this way is recorded in Spark, they will be losing a lot of their salary money. The demand for a solution to this concern is quite reasonable. A system could have been put in place to exclude the instances of going out for official purposes from the scope of regulation. If the reforms were introduced after the removal of such technical flaws, better results could have certainly been achieved.

It is stated that the employees are required to be in their seats during working hours so that their services are available to the public without delay. Loitering, conducting organizational activities, joining strikes, and leaving for other personal needs during working hours are common. The all-seeing and all-hearing public do have a strong desire that the functioning of government offices will improve. Unfortunately, when it comes to service, employee organizations always prioritize their own interests over the needs of the people.