MCG officials to be under constant vigilance of commissioner

Officials of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) will be under the constant supervision of the commissioner, Mukesh Kumar Ahuja, who directed the civic body’s IT wing to link all cameras on the office premises to his office and residence. Ahuja issued the directions after finding absenteeism during a surprise check on Wednesday, officials said on Thursday

Officials of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) will be under the constant supervision of the commissioner, Mukesh Kumar Ahuja, who directed the civic body’s IT wing to link all cameras on the office premises to his office and residence. Ahuja issued the directions after finding absenteeism during a surprise check on Wednesday, officials said on Thursday.

There are a dozen CCTV cameras at the Sector 34 office, said officials. (HT Archive)

On Wednesday afternoon, Ahuja visited the planning branch, engineering branch, accounts branch, audit branch, IT branch, tax branch, GIS Lab, establishment branch and the sanitation branch at the MCG’s Sector 34 office.

He directed the officers concerned to check the close circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in the MCG’s offices in sectors 34, 42 and Civil Lines offices and ensure they are operational and linked for his perusal.

“There had been complaints of officials not being present at their seats, coming late to office, or being absent without any official reason. Hence, to curb such negligence and laxity, I have directed the IT wing to ensure all cameras are functioning and link them to my office and home,” said Ahuja.

Ahuja said that he will also check if Covid-appropriate behaviours, such as social distancing and mask discipline, are followed.

According to MCG officials, there are around a dozen cameras each at all three office premises.

“The CCTV cameras in Sector 34 office were installed just before it became the MCG’s main office. A lot of workers have forgotten about their presence, while most new staff members are unaware of its existence. Hence, it is being firstly checked to verify if they are functional,” a senior MCG official said.

The official cited above said that the process is expected to be completed by mid-August.

Absenteeism among officials has been a major topic of discussion. After senior MCG officials missed the MCG’s finance and contract committee (F&CC) meetings, mayor Madhu Azad announced in September last year that show-cause notices will be issued to officials who don’t attend the F&CC meetings in the future.

In April last year, 30 officials were served show-cause notices after it was found that officials of the establishment branch had stopped coming to the office since a nationwide lockdown was announced in March. Municipal workers were among those exempted from the lockdown.

In September last year, Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) also installed 15 CCTV cameras at its Sector 14 office to keep a check on the functioning of officials, daily visitors and suspected middlemen, who were allegedly misguiding plot allottees. A senior HSVP official said that all cameras are functional and extensively being used to ensure adherence to Covid-19 norms.