Following repeated complaints from citizens across the city about Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials not being available for them in its offices, the civic body is all set to link biometric attendance with the Human Resource Management System (HRMS).
Two separate systems
According to sources in the BBMP, the biometric system and the HRMS were working as standalone systems. With no link between the two systems, the BBMP officials were not bothered about punching in and out on time or even regularly.
C.R. Lakshminarayan, former chairperson of BBMP's Standing Committee for Personnel and Administrative Reforms, said the committee had, on several occasions, recommended that the two systems be linked.
“The BBMP insists on taking the pourakarmikas' biometric attendance thrice a day. Yet, the officials are least bothered to do so themselves,” he said and added that the committee had found officials who turn up late to work and leave early. “We even received complaints from public about officials not turning up for work on Fridays before the second Saturdays,” he added.
15 percent absenteeism
He also claimed that the committee had found that there was a minimum 15% absenteeism on any given day among the 9,000-odd BBMP employees. “However, with the failure in enforcing the biometric attendance system and linking it with the HRMS, the civic body is paying officials even though they have remained absent,” he charged.
Concurring, D. Randeep, Additional Commissioner (Administration), told The Hindu that the civic body would link both systems soon.
In case punching in is not done at the appropriate time or officials have punched out early, the system will automatically treat it as half day and salary will be cut. He said, in case the officials were out on field inspection or occupied elsewhere, the supervisors will have to certify the same. Until then, the system would treat them as being absent.
Will bring discipline
“This was a long pending move. The Standing Committee had also submitted its recommendation in this regard to the Administration Department several times. By linking both biometric and HRMS, we will be bringing in some discipline and accountability among the officials at all levels,” he added.