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Chandigarh MC to link staff’s attendance on smart watches with salaries
The civic body is paying ₹18 lakh per month for the watches, which were introduced in February last year, but had to discontinue the measure after resistance
The municipal corporation from May 1 will restart the practice of linking wearing of smart watches and the attendance marked through these for the calculation of salary of more than 4,000 of its employees.
The MC is paying ₹18 lakh per month for the watches, which were introduced in February last year to track employees and calculate their salaries. But for several months now, after opposition from workers and a section of councillors, the GPS-enabled wrist watches are not being worn by most employees, particularly sanitary workers. Consequently, the MC has restarted calculating salaries on the basis of physical marking of attendance.
A committee comprising councillors and officials was constituted to look into the matter. But after six months of deliberations, the committee was split in the middle over whether the civic body would continue to provide GPS-enabled wrist watches. The committee’s report was tabled in the MC General House meet on Wednesday.
During the heated debate on the issue, MC commissioner KK Yadav stated that the watches had helped in detecting 250 ghost employees, adding that except for a few glitches, they had helped in improving the efficiency of the employees.
BJP city chief and councillor Arun Sood questioned the officials on the cost of the watches. While the officials claimed that the price of one watch was around ₹8,000, Sood contended that the watches could be bought at a price range of ₹1,200 to ₹1,500. The MC is paying around ₹2 crore as rent for the watches.
Sood also asked the commissioner to submit the list of 250 ghost employees reportedly detected through the watches. He demanded that a penalty should be imposed on MC officials who allowed such ghost employees to be paid, and an FIR should be registered against the ghost employees.
Increased cost of 24/7 water supply project approved
The MC House approved the revised cost of the 24/7 pan-city water supply project. The ambitious project, which in 2019 was pegged to cost ₹440 crore, will now cost ₹591 crore, ₹151 crore more. The MC would have to pay an additional ₹22 crore, while most of the increased cost will come from European Union grant of ₹98 crore.
While treasury benches and most of the opposition councillors supported the move, Congress councillor Saitsh Kainth objected to the project: “When city residents without getting any improved water supply are already burdened with higher water tariff, this would increase the financial burden on them. It is awful that MC is now being pushed to run on borrowed money.”
In response, Yadav listed several benefits of the project and said, “It is time the MC stops running to the UT administration or Centre for funds. MC can generate its own funds.”
Covid surge didn’t stop meeting
