Staff seek more screening at Secretariat

Staff seek more screening at Secretariat

Temperature not checked, hand sanitisers absent on the premises

19/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Direct entry: Government staff waiting for the elevator at Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai in Chennai on Monday. R. RAGUR_Ragu

With 50% of the staff in the Secretariat reporting for work from Monday, employees feel the screening on the Fort St. George premises should be stringent since many of their colleagues from several districts were coming for their shifts.

Though there have been some arrangements to screen employees, both in the main building as well as in the Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai, when The Hindu visited the premises on Monday, employees were entering their offices without any thermal screening.

No hand sanitisers were provided to them when they entered office. “It may be the case because all these days, only 33% of the staff were coming to the office. Many are coming to the office on Monday after a long break. Maybe we were not screened in good faith, but safety should not be compromised,” an employee said.

Another employee pointed out that buses were plying for the benefit of Secretariat staff from three districts, besides Chennai — Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur.

“Others need inter-district pass, we do not need it. But screening should not be overlooked,” he said.

Besides these four districts, there are employees who are finding their way to the Secretariat from several northern districts.

“Because of this six-day schedule, we get a two-day off twice a week. Depending on the cycle, many of my colleagues are planning to go home in other districts for the break. So, the potential for spread is more at the Secretariat,” he said.

Observing physical distancing norms in the government-arranged buses was another issue.

“There is no clear information on the number of employees in the departments needing buses. On Monday morning, a driver refused to accept more employees saying some of them were already standing in the bus for want of seats.”

He wanted more buses to be pressed into service in these routes.

Since employees come to one place from several districts and spend quite a few hours, screening must be strict on the premises, they said.

When The Hinducontacted a senior officer in-charge of the premises, he said he would look into the issue.