Most employees reached office on time: Mohali DC

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Mohali, May 3

The Mohali administration today conducted checking to identify the late comers in various departments according to the new office timings (7:30 am to 2 pm) of the Punjab Government.

Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said, “A majority of the employees were on time. We are ensuring everyone follows the instruction so that public dealing and official work are streamlined according to the new timings. Checking in various departments will continue in the coming days.”

Officials said the footfall in the offices remained relatively low for the first two hours, but picked up pace after 9 am. By the afternoon, it was business as usual as queues were seen at public dealing counters.

Employees gave a mixed reaction to the new timings as some approved of it while there were a few who are facing problems in commuting from far-off places early morning.

Travel time on airport road reduced

• The change in the timings of government offices is not only saving electricity, but has also reduced traffic congestion on the busy Airport Road in Mohali.
• A study conducted by the Punjab Road Safety and Traffic Research Centre (PRSTRC) to analyse the impact of changed office hours on traffic movement has found a significant reduction in the congestion on the Airport Road (PR-7) on its first day of implementation.
• The traffic analysis, carried out using Tom-Tom Maps on the 18-km road, found that the average delays during peak hours have reduced from 30-40 minutes to mere 5-6 minutes.
• ADGP (Traffic) AS Rai said the reduction in travel time would also cut down the fuel consumption and prove beneficial for the environment.
• The study found that during peak hours, about 7,000 vehicles cross the Airport Road in one hour. Based on conservative estimates, an additional delay of 25 minutes for these vehicles during five hours would have consumed 7,500 litres of fuel per day.
• The estimates of fuel saving are based on the vehicle operating cost for different vehicles made available by the Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi, and the Indian Roads Congress.

“The new timings suit me as I get free by 2:30 pm-3 pm from office and reach home just as children come back from school. I think it gives parents more time to look after children’s study and do household chores,” said Ekta Rana, a Municipal Corporation employee.

The new timings coincide with the school timings, making it difficult for public and employees to reach government offices in the first two hours.

“The 7:30 am to 8:30 am is the time when children go to school. First, the children are to be readied for school, then dropped to school bus pick-up point. It means that government employees have to leave everything and reach office in time. For those who commute long distances, the day has to start by 5 am,” said a government employee at the District Administrative Complex in Mohali.