Biometric machine for Smart City project staff lying unused

Karnal, March 11

A biometric attendance machine purchased by Karnal Smart City Limited (KSCL) in 2020 at a cost of Rs 7,670 is lying unused in the office.

Employees of the Karnal Smart City project are marking their attendance through a manual system in a register. This has been revealed in a reply received by advocate Rajesh Sharma, a local, in response to details sought from the KSCL, under the Right to Information Act 2005.

“The agency had purchased a biometric machine by spending Rs 7,670 on March 11, 2020, but it is not being used for attendance. The employees are marking their attendance manually,” said the General Manager of the KSCL in the reply.

As per sources, the machine had created a fear in the minds of employees that they might face action in case they do not turn up on time or spend enough hours at work, due to which it was not installed and is lying unused.

Rajesh, who received this reply, alleged how would the officials and employees of the Smart City project make the city smart when they were not even using smart gadgets for their attendance. “The biometric machine was purchased but not used, which should be probed. I demand the Deputy Commissioner-cum-CEO of the KSCL, Anish Yadav, to probe as to why the machine was not used to date,” he added.

“During the Covid pandemic, it was risky to use the machine, but now almost all offices are marking attendance on it. The KSCL employees should have started this earlier,” he said.

Meanwhile, Anish Yadav said, “The issue came to my notice and I will get it checked. I will ensure that the attendance is marked on the biometric machine.”