PCMC imposes heavy fine on YCM Hospital staff ‘caught’ doing yoga during duty hours, to reconsider decision

The development comes three days after the civic body held the employees guilty of the act and imposed hefty fines on them.

“I have received representations from doctors and employees seeking a reversal of the decision. I will review the decision and may let them off with a warning. I will soon make a decision on it,” Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh told The Indian Express Saturday.

The PCMC chief on Wednesday ordered to impose hefty fines on the eight women employees, including a homoeopathic doctor who was on the verge of retirement, three nurses and administrative staff. The doctor was fined Rs 53,000, while others were fined between Rs 10,000 to Rs 22,000. He also mentioned that the punishment should be mentioned in their service records.

On whether the civic administration would adopt a lenient view, the municipal commissioner said that as per the norms, no employee is allowed to indulge in any activity other than the work allotted to him during duty hours.

“If we allow yoga, then they will start dance and Zumba classes. Especially, when it comes to a hospital, we need the full focus of the employees on their work. Hospitals are places where timely help of the employees helps in saving lives.”

Doctors and employees of the YCMH protested against the “harsh” decision and approached the municipal commissioner. The employees argued that when the central government was encouraging citizens to perform yoga for a healthy living, the PCMC order runs contrary to it. The employees said performing yoga for a few minutes did not in any way stop them from discharging their duties.

Dr Rajendra Wable, dean of YCM Hospital and Medical College, said that the women employees were caught by PCMC Vigilance squad in October last year practising yoga on the hospital premises. “Yoga is not generally practised during duty hours. However, these employees were found doing yoga during duty hours and therefore the civic administration had imposed fines on them.”

Dr Wable, however, said that he had written to the civic administration to give them a lighter punishment. “I think the punishment is disproportionate to the deviation. It’s not just the matter of fine, but even the service records of the staff would suffer if the punishment is mentioned in it,” the dean pointed out.

A senior doctor with YCM Hospital, who does not wish to be named, said that practising yoga by employees is part of the policy of the central government and hence called for a more lenient approach from the civic body. “In 2021, the central government directed ministries and government departments to promote five minutes of yoga to refresh and de-stress employees. The directives were issued by the Department of Personnel and Training. When it comes to yoga, our Prime Minister is leading from the front. Therefore, I think the decision is harsh,” the doctor said.

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However, other doctors at the hospital said that yoga was being practised by “off duty employees” for the past 10 years on the hospital premises. “It is not something which is happening for the first time. The administration should first issue clear cut instructions on this count,” another employee said.