Pune: A total of 550 employees, including six department heads, were stopped at the gates of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Friday for arriving late to the office. PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram has issued show-cause notices to all of them and expressed strong displeasure over their repeated late arrivals.
PMC follows a five-day work week like many Maharashtra state government offices, with working hours fixed from 9:45 am to 6:15 pm. In return, employees get Saturdays and Sundays off. However, despite repeated instructions, many staff members were reporting for duty past 12 noon.
Citizens visiting the PMC building for their grievances have been suffering because officials and staff are often unavailable at their desks. Some officers leave early, take long lunch breaks or spend time in other departments. Complaints about absenteeism and poor discipline have also been reported in the past.
On Friday, the commissioner ordered gatekeepers to stop latecomers at the entrance. Their entry times were recorded and notices were issued. Even clerks responsible for salary records have been warned.
For the last five years, PMC has been under administrator rule, and citizens have raised concerns about a lack of accountability.
The commissioner has also directed department heads to fix specific timings to meet citizens and display the information clearly outside their offices. Citizens had earlier complained that department heads were not available during visiting hours, forcing them to approach the commissioner directly.
