Officials told to be on call round the clock in paddy, festive season

Office-bearers and activists of various organisations, working for the rights of the common man, including farmers, labourers and students, have urged the higher authorities to impress upon senior functionaries of government departments to respond to SOS calls received during duty hours and beyond.

The activists alleged that a number of government officials turned off their mobile phones after duty hours and during holidays with the intent to avoid calls by public leaders and their seniors, too.

Residents, predominantly farmers, led by All India Kissan Sabha leader Baldev Latala, alleged that officials deployed on special duties during the procurement period and festival season had stopped attending phone calls of public leaders for reasons best known to them.

“It was only yesterday that I tried for hours to contact an official of a procurement agency on his phone but failed to do so,” said Latala, maintaining that several ‘actions’ by protesting outfits could be avoided by mere conciliatory talks.

Taking cognisance of the alleged irresponsible attitude of going off the network, some government departments have issued formal orders to members of their staff to ensure that their phones don’t go off on holidays and beyond working hours.

“It has been observed by the department that some officers/ employees turn off their phone after duty hours or on holidays and don’t call back on receiving notice of a ‘missed call’. This results in problems, while dealing with officials working on holidays and beyond duty hours,” reads a paragraph to a circular issued by the Finance Commissioner’s Secretariat on Friday.

Acknowledging the tendency President of Punjab Revenue Officers Association Sukhcharan Singh Channi said the association had already advised its members to ensure that they should responded to every call they received on their phones during the office or after duty time. They (revenue officers) have also been advised to ensure that members of their staff should also be advised against turning off their phones or ignoring calls received from the public.

“Having realised that the ensuing period is the most crucial for the administration due to the ongoing paddy procurement period, festival season and the period witnessing the maximum number of accidental fires; we have called upon our members to remain in catch twenty-two position for dealing any emergency,” said Channi.