Riyas conducts check at PWD office, finds faults

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister P A Mohamed Riyas made a surprise visit to the public works department (PWD) chief architect’s office at Museum Junction here following complaints that employees were not attending duties.
The minister fumed at officials as he could find that several of the employees were on unauthorized leave during the office hours. Though the minister sought the punching statement of the employees, the officials couldn’t produce it.
Later, the officials gave in writing about the number of employees who were present in the office. Out of the 17 employees on duty, only 11 had punched on Thursday. However, the attendance of only six people was marked in the register. But the minister found that the 11 who had punched were not present in the office at the time of his visit.
The minister also inspected the movement register, casual leave register and stock register for verification. He ordered the officials to submit the punching statement before evening to the PWD secretary. He also found that the punching system has not been linked with the ‘Spark’ software.
After realizing that the e-office system is not being maintained at the office, the minister asked, “How are you catering to the applications of the people? The e-office system has been brought in place to ensure transparency. If you are not ready to accept the system, then you will have to give an explanation for this.’’
Though the senior architect — who was present in the office — tried to defend the employees, the minister said there was no need for giving justifications for the unauthorized absence of the employees. The minister asked the PWD secretary, K Biju, who was accompanying him to submit a report on the lapses found in the office and suggest action against the officials. The minister spent almost 45 minutes in the office.