Ministers, govt offices resume work with increased strength

Ministers, govt offices resume work with increased strength

Social Distancing Norms Violated In Crowded Buses

Julie Mariappan & B Sivakumar TNN

Chennai:19.05.2020

The government offices resumed work on Monday with 50% staff strength across the state even as ministers began meeting with officials and colleagues at the Secretariat. Complaints, however, poured in about poor services of state transport corporations.

The strength was earlier capped at 33% in all non-containment areas. The state has announced a new six-day work schedule for two batches to maintain uninterrupted delivery of government services. “We neither had adequate number of buses nor routes. As a result, the social distancing norm was violated. The government could have planned it much better when it decided to increase the strength in offices to 50%,” a senior official complained.

The MTC had been ferrying passengers in 175 buses to the Secretariat during lockdown but increased only 25 more services from Monday. Several employees chose to come in two-wheelers after noticing crowded buses from areas like Tambaram.

Lack of services to Ezhilagam in Chepauk saw disgruntled staff accusing higherups of making poor arrangements. An official in the prohibition and excise department in Ezhilagam complex said there was no service available from Ambattur OT in the morning. “A policeman got an auto driver to ferry three of us and we had to pay ₹300. Only today they started taking down the list of names for bus services,” said the woman officer.

Several staff members later met officials in the transport commissionerate and complained of poor services to Ezhilagam complex, which houses tens of government departments. In the evening, several staff members hitchhiked in friends’ vehicles to reach Secretariat to take buses to reach their homes. Ministers, K A Sengottaiyan, P Thangamani, K P Anbazhagan, K C Karuppannan, K C Veeramani, R B Udayakumar and their colleagues could be spotted with partymen and public thronging to submit their petitions. “We have been told to come for three days from Monday onwards and the remaining days in the district for Covid relief work,” said a minister. Udayakumar held a press conference to announce monsoon preparedness along with the officials, while others began discussions with officials.

Elsewhere, all heads in HR&CE department returned to work. “Some of them who were staying in Chennai but are native of other districts did not return,” said an official. Some staff sought exemption in TNEB, owing to lack of vehicles.

BACK AT WORK: Government employees work at the Secretariat on Monday. The state has announced a new six-day work schedule for two batches to maintain uninterrupted delivery of government services