Venkaiah Naidu`s surprise check catches latecomers off-guard

Zee Media Bureau/Ajith Vijay Kumar New Delhi: Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu was in for a rude shock when he made a surprise visit to ministry`s office, Nirman Bhawan, on Monday. What greeted him when he visited the office at around 10 am were empty chairs and tables as many of the officers and junior staff were found missing from their seats during office hours. Taking a serious view of the matter, Naidu has ordered that show-cause notices be issued to the 80 odd erring employees. Reports added that the minister has directed the installation of biometric attendance system at the UD ministry and the Parliamentary Affairs ministry, the two ministries under his charge. Naidu has also asked senior officials to keep a tab on regular latecomers and ensure that they are made to fill in for a day`s causal leave if they come more than 15 minutes late than the stipulated time.

Also Read: Naidu takes stock, biometric attendance system soon for employees of urban ministries The minister had made a similar check last month but had let off slackers with a mild warning. However, his cabinet colleague Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar had acted tough against such officials when he conducted a similar check last month. Javadekar had then asked the latecomers to take half-day causal leave as a form of mild punishment and directed officials to ensure that the staff is at their seats by 9 am. Soon after taking charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had himself inspected the chambers of his officers in the PMO to ensure that officials are present in office by 8:45am.