Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has blocked the facial attendance IDs of more than 900 employees after identifying staff with extremely low attendance, placing salaries worth more than Rs 1.2 crore on hold.
The affected employees include engineers, assistant revenue inspectors, lower division clerks, regular employees, ward incharges, zonal officers and 29-day daily wage workers.
According to new directive, employees whose IDs have been blocked are required to appear before municipal commissioner Sanskriti Jain for verification before their attendance IDs are restored and salaries released.
The move has caused resentment among sections of BMC workforce. However, the IDs of some employees posted at the residences of ministers and MLAs are being reactivated, sources said.
A BMC official wishing anonymity said that nearly 400 daily wagers engaged on 29-day contract across the city's 85 wards were either appointed on the recommendations of corporators or are related to them.
Many of these employees are alleged to draw salaries without regularly reporting for duty. Some of their attendance IDs, initially blocked during the drive, were later restored following intervention from influential persons.
Attendance scrutiny after 10 months
The action follows months of irregular implementation of the facial attendance system.
After health department employees struck work in November 2025 against the system, attendance continued to be recorded both online and offline, while salaries were released regardless of facial attendance.
The BMC has now initiated a large-scale review of attendance records. Officials said different attendance thresholds were used during the scrutiny.
Employees with as little as three days of attendance in a month had their IDs blocked, while those with around 10 days of attendance were asked to explain their absence.
Employees with about 15 days of attendance have reportedly been given a final opportunity to regularise their records.
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Salaries of employees with poor attendance are on hold. Only those with genuine reasons for low attendance will have their IDs restored after verification by the concerned department and the respective additional commissioner.
Tanmay V Sharma, additional BMC commissioner
