Banjar MLA takes to social media to expose absenteeism in government offices

Banjar MLA Surender Shourie on Tuesday inspected the Jal Shakti Department divisional office at Larji and found a thin attendance of officials and employees there. Shourie, who was travelling to Tapovan in Dharamsala, stopped at the office early in the morning following repeated public complaints that several government offices in Kullu district were functioning without adequate staff. He most of the officers and employees, including the Executive Engineer, absent even by 10.10 am.

The MLA streamed his inspection live on social media and the footage quickly went viral. The video revealed empty rooms, locked cabins, unattended files and no official present in the office. The visuals triggered widespread discussions among residents and employees, especially because the state government had introduced a biometric attendance system to curb absenteeism. “If this is the condition when the mandatory biometric attendance is available, it is clear that the system is failing to ensure regular attendance,” Shourie said while addressing viewers during the live broadcast.

He criticised Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for his slogan of Vyavastha Parivartan and said that what the public was witnessing was not reforms but deterioration. He termed the situation as Vyavastha Patan as the ground reality contradicted the promise of administrative transformation. “There is no accountability. Officers appear to be enjoying the collapse of governance,” he claimed.

After concluding the inspection at the Jal Shakti Department office, Shourie also visited the local divisional office of the National Highways Authority of India and witnessed similar conditions. Here, too, several employees were not present when public dealings typically begin.

Shourie urged the state government to take strict action and ensure that such lapses were not repeated. He emphasised that public offices could not be left unattended, especially when important development works, road maintenance and water-supply issues required daily monitoring.