Mumbai: Employees from various departments in Mantralaya have united to protest against the state government’s order for 100% attendance. These employees, under the aegis of the Federation of Gazetted Officers, have demanded that the state government should reconsider its order amid rising Covid-19 cases and deaths. More than 15 employees from Mantralaya have died because of Covid 19.
The Federation has brought to the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s notice that two ministers have temporarily shut their offices in Mantralaya after their staff members were detected Covid-19 positive. It has said the government’s indifference in strict implementation of corona containment measures has been mainly responsible for spurt in infection.
The Federation has referred to the Unlock 4 guidelines whereby 100 per cent attendance of officers and employees was made mandatory. Class 'A' and 'B' include all the staff above the Assistant Section Office, while the clerical and peon staff come in classes 'C' and 'D'. Nearly 7,000 employees currently present in the two buildings of the Mantralaya for at least 8 to 10 hours. The infection is increasing rapidly which is a matter of concern.
The Federation has pleaded that the government should immediately relax its condition of 100% attendance in order to curb the infection. The safety of employees is also important. The Federation expects the chief minister to personally look into the issue.
The leader of opposition in the state council Praveen Darekar demanded that the CM should guarantee safety to employees. He claimed that the rising Covid-19 cases and deaths in Mantralaya is a wake-up call for the government.
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