Pending work forces govt staff to work on Saturdays

Sumeer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 6

Pendency of work forces employees of various government departments in the Mini-secretariat complex to work on Saturdays. In several government departments, there is a five-day week.

A majority of the employees said the workload on week days was usually immense and finishing the assigned work in that period was difficult, so they had to come to the office even on Saturdays.

“We have no alternative than to work on holidays as there is a shortage of staff. The existing staff have to complete all the work,” they said.

A visit to the Mini-Secretariat complex by The Tribune team on Saturday found that employees of various departments were working in their offices.

In the department of land records, nine employees were seen working on their computer screens. On being asked about working on a holiday, the employees said the work was pending and a private company hired by the government had instructed them to work on the first Saturday of every month.

The reader to the tehsildar and his assistant said they had to come to the office to finish the pending work.

One of the computer operators in the tehsil office, who was sitting with an acquaintance, said he had come to the office to collect some important documents for personal work.

Similarly, employees in the complaint branch, kanungo branch, miscellaneous assistant branch, record room, Excise Department and the Education Department were present on Saturday.

Deputy Commissioner Praneet said, “All departments dealing with emergency situations remain operational on holidays. Moreover, it depends on the volume of work pending in the respective departments. Employees can be asked to work on a holiday as well. But there is no compulsion and it is completely on the discretion of employees whether he or she wants to work or not.”