The Maharashtra Health Ministry issued a government resolution on Thursday warning officials that they would be suspended if not found at their desks during work hours, DNA has reported.
As per the report, it has been observed that senior health department officials have been noted to leave their offices without notifying their superiors and don’t even attend meeting called by ministers. It has also been claimed that the department employees are not found in their offices during working hours.
Thus a PTI report states that the issued resolution instructs the officials to not leave their offices without informing their bosses and also take permissions before leaving on foreign tours. Hence the resolution cited the Maharashtra Civil Services (Behaviour) Rules of 1979 to remind the officials of their need to maintain “highest professional dignity”.
The resolution then proceeds to warns that if the officials fail to obey the said directives, they would be liable for disciplinary action, suspension or even a dismissal.
The health department has thus directed the deputy directors and district health officers to provide a list of officers who do not stay in their regional headquarters without any prior intimation. Following this, the department has instructed that the erring officials should be given a strict warning and be reported to the government.
If the officials still continue to falter in their attendance, then disciplinary action would need to be initiated against them within a month, failing which the senior officials who are supposedly to dish out the punishment, would be held accountable.
Incidentally despite the issuance of such a resolution, state’s public health minister Deepak Sawant has expressed ignorance of the same by claiming that officials didn’t discuss it with him, possibly owing to the model code of conduct being put in place for a Member of Legislative council seat in Mumbai. This though didn’t stop him from asserting that officials should be punctual and remain present in meetings.
