Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 22: The biometric attendance system launched by state government for its employees has turned out to be a damp-squib as most of machines have been lying defunct and truant employees have been indulging in absenteeism.
According to officials sources, especially the employees of Health department as well as School Education department including doctors, paramedical staff, clerks, teaching faculty and other staff members have been bunking their duties..
"Most of teachers as well as health department staff have been attending their duties once a week but with active connivance of the incharge officers, have been getting full attendance", sources said, adding that the practice was most prevalent in peripheral government institutions especially health institutions, where on an average out of dozen employees and officials deputed, only one or two are found present.
"The attendance of the employees and officials is fudged and with the involvement of clerical staff, they managed to get full attendance and also the routine salary", an official said.
Sources further disclosed that the biometric attendance machines installed in the institutions were either out of order or were deliberately made defunct by the staff members. "Even in our school our headmistress reached the school at around 12 and returned at 2 PM. How she will ensure attendance of lower staff", a teacher said, adding that similar was the situation in other schools, where teachers were not visiting schools regularly but getting regular salaries.
They further said that the Governor administration should initiate an enquiry and seek report from all the government institutions about the status of biometric attendance system. "The head of institution are not interested in getting the machines repaired as they have been getting huge money from the truant employees and officials for their absenteeism", sources said, adding that biometric attendance system must be made mandatory in all the institutions without any further delay. |
