Margao: Bio-metric face readers have finally made a comeback at the Margao Municipal Council for recording the attendance of the civic employees’, more than three years after the system was stopped during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The revival of the defunct bio-metric face readers assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the circular issued by the Director of Urban Development, Gurudas Pilarnekar to all the Chief Officers of Municipal bodies to record the attendance of the employees via bio-metric system or face non-payment of salaries.
Though Pilarnekar had issued the circular a couple of months ago, the system has come into force at the beginning of the New Year, thanks to the initiative by the Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar.
MMC started bio-centric face scanners today
The Chief Officer told The Goan that the civic body has started implementing the bio-metric face readers from Wednesday, adding that the agency is closely monitoring the functioning of the system to streamline it further. “We have installed two bio-metric finger face readers in the Municipal building, both on the ground floor and the first floor. For the time being, the attendance of the employees working in the Municipal building has been covered by the system,” he said.
The Chief Officer, however, disclosed plans to extend the bio-metric face recording system to employees posted at Sonsodo, at the markets and the old market garage. “We have already placed an order to procure three more bio-metric face readers for installation at Sonsodo, in the markets and at the old market garage,” Sankhwalkar said.
Bio-metric face reader is being closely monitored
Saying that the bio-metric face reader project has cost the Margao Municipality around ₹1.60 lakh, the Chief Officer said the system is being closely monitored by his office as well as by the agency. “We are trying to get the feedback so that everything works out without any problems. There may be some teething issues, which will be resolved by the agency. We expect the system to be streamlined over the next few days,” he added.
Use of the bio-metric finger scan readers for the Margao Municipal employees was stop during the Covid-19 pandemic, rendering the devises defunct. Incidentally, the bio-metric finger scan readers were never revived when several government departments, including the district Collectorate resumed recording of attendance by the employees by the bio-metric finger scan readers.
