Bureaucrats in Uttar Pradesh have expressed their resentment towards the latest government order that dictates the government officers' presence in their offices by 9 am. They have called it inflexible.
The Yogi Adityanath-led UP government ordered on Thursday that all officers should reach their office by 9 am and all District Magistrates and Police chiefs should meet the public from 9 am to 11 am.
Government officers, however, feel that if the government has fixed a time to reach work, they should also fix a time for going back home.
"The Chief Minister's meetings often extend till late in the night. If we are reaching home at 11 pm, should we be expected to return to the office at 9 am the following morning?" asked a Principal Secretary rank officer.
A Superintendent of Police from western UP was quoted as saying in an IANS report that there are times when he is on duty until 4 am due to certain cases. "How could I be expected to come back to office at 9 am then?" he asked. Officers in districts are particularly distressed.
Another Chief Secretary rank officer quoted in an IANS report said, "More than me, it is my staff that is upset with this order. If I have to reach office by 9 a.m., my driver will have to leave home at 7.30 a.m., so that he can reach my house in time. The similar is the case with the other staff that stays back in the office till I leave. There should be some flexibility."
He said that along with this order, the government should also ensure that there are no pending files and work is done on time. "What is the use of sitting in office and doing no work?" he asked.
The government's order came in the backdrop of a complaint which said that the District Magistrates and Police chiefs were unavailable for the common man. The order made it clear that officers who do not reach office in time would face action.
