Masks on, the government’s Covid-19 contact tracing app Arogya Setu on their mobile phones, less than 1,000 government employees turned up to work at the two secretariats in the state capital on Monday amid the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown 2.0 to ensure files move.
Vice-president of the Jharkhand Sachivalaya Seva Sangh, Amit Kumar, told The Telegraph that the number of employees was limited but work got done. On normal days, nearly 3,500 people turn up at both secretariats.
“Hardly 300 employees turned up at the Nepal House secretariat in Doranda and 600 at the Project Bhavan secretariat in Dhurwa,” Kumar said.
Asked on precautions taken to keep employees safe from the coronavirus infection, Kumar said: “Sanitiser was kept at the entrance, thermal scanner at the gate scanned each and every one entering the secretariat campus and employees were asked to pay proper attention to physical distancing.”
He added that employees were asked not to take lifts, which would compel people to stand close to each other, but use the stairs only.
Deputy secretary of the state personnel and administrative department, Chandra Bhusan Prasad, said employees had been called according to a roster.
“On a particular day, any department should not send more than 33 per cent of its staff to work. This directive has been given to the heads of each office across the state to ensure that the offices do not get crowded and social distancing is maintained,” Prasad said.
He added that he would not be able to give the exact figure of employees who turned up as biometric attendance is not allowed nowadays.
An official of the forest department, Rajesh Gupta, said there was no roster in his office so everyone turned up.
“As the office was opened after a long time, many files were disposed of. As no one had any idea about the roster, everyone came today (Monday) but from tomorrow (Tuesday) the number will be regulated,” Gupta said.
Mohammed Anwar, a staff of the district collectorate, supported Gupta.
“About 150 of around 400 staffs are present at the district collectorate and normal work is on. It is a unique experience to work in the near-deserted building.”
Mandar MLA and former state minister Bandhu Tirkey, however, was not happy with the development.
“I do not think that the government done right by opening government offices before May 3. It has created confusion. If government offices open, the masses will try to come and get their pending work done, and lockdown will be tough to impose. Instead of offices, the government should have paid attention on opening the OPDs of government hospitals and beefed up other facilities required to fight Covid-19,” Tirkey said.