Punctuality in Attendance and Prompt Disposal of Work

GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL
Finance Department
Audit Branch
Writers’ Buildings, Kolkata-700 001

No. 10391-F  Kolkata, the 13th December, 2000.

MEMORANDUM

In reiteration of all earlier orders, for improving accountability and efficiency in the administration, the Governor is pleased to decide in supersession of all previous orders in this regard that the following instructions be strictly adhered to for ensuring punctuality in attendance and prompt disposal of work by the State Government Staffs/Officers at all levels as well as Staffs/Officers working in different statutory bodies including local Self-Government Institutions, Autonomous Bodies and Corporations/Undertakings owned or substantially controlled by the State Government.

A. FOR STAFF AND OFFICERS ENGAGED IN OFFICE DUTY AS WELL AS THOSE WORKING IN HOSPITALS:

1. Every Staff/Officer shall sign the relevant Attendance Register noting both the time of arrival and the time of departure.

2. (a) In all categories of establishments, the grace period for signing the Attendance Register in the morning shall be 15 minutes after the scheduled time and Staff/Officers reporting for duty after this grace period shall be marked ‘late’.

(b) Staffs/Officers may be allowed to sign the Attendance Register and record attendance upto and within 45 minutes of the scheduled time of attendance in the morning. Anybody coming thereafter will be marked ‘absent’ and will not be allowed to join duty on that day, unless he has been granted ‘half-day’ Casual Leave for the first half of the day.

Examples:

If the time for attendance in an office is 10.00 a.m. any Staff/Officer reporting after 10.15 a.m. will be marked ‘late’.

Any employee whose duty is to start, say, at 8.00 a.m. will similarly be marked ‘late’, if he does not turn up within 8.15 a.m.

NOTE: In places where attendance is recorded through a Card Punching System, the existing provisions may continue provided these do not exceed the relaxation as enjoyed in para 2(a) and 2(b) above of this Memorandum.

(c) Attendance Registers should be kept with a designated Officer from 15 minutes after the scheduled time of attendance to 15 minutes before the scheduled time of departure. The Attendance Register should be sent to the office where required 15 minutes before the scheduled time of departure so that the employees can put their signature in the departure column. At the scheduled time of departure ‘cross marks’ will be given against the names of those who have not signed in the departure column.

(d) No Staff/Officer shall leave office before closing hours without permission of the Controlling Authority i.e. the Head of Office as defined in Rule 5 (16A) of the W.B.S.R. Part-I.

(e) One day’s Casual Leave or Compensatory Casual Leave shall be deducted from Casual Leave/Compensatory Casual Leave at the credit of a Staff/Officer for every three days late attendance in a calendar month. If a Staff/Officer has no Casual Leave or Compensatory Casual Leave to his credit, one day’s ‘Earned Leave’ shall be deducted from the accumulated Earned Leave at his credit for every 3 (three) days late attendance. Departmental Secretaries and other Superior Officers shall ensure that proper procedures/mechanisms are devised to keep an account of deducted leave.

(f) In general, condonation of late attendance will not be allowed. In only extreme cases, if the Controlling Authority is satisfied that the delayed arrival of a Government employee in office has been due to dislocation of traffic, heavy rains or similar genuine and convincing circumstances over which the Government employee has no control, such delay may be condoned by the Secretary of the Department in the Secretariat Offices. Head of Directorate in Directorate Offices and the District Magistrate/Concerned District Level Officers in Regional Offices, provided such dislocation of traffic etc., is of general and very extensive in nature.

(g) (i) Normally, no Officers/Staff posted in a District shall leave Head Quarters.

(ii) If any Officer/Staff is required to proceed on leave on personal grounds, he/she shall obtain prior concurrence before departure.

(iii) Even when a Staff/Officer has to leave H.Q. on official duty, he/she shall have to obtain prior written permission from the District Magistrate/Concerned District Level Officer/Head of the Directorate/or Secretary of the Department as the case may be.

(h) All Heads of Offices shall maintain up-to-date Leave Register and keep in operation regular periodic checks.

(i) The Competent Authority may initiate disciplinary action against a Staff/Officer for persistent late attendance or persistent early departure from office without permission under the West Bengal Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1971.

(j) Staff/Officer of the Secretariat Department shall keep record of his daily performance in the Case Book *as provided in Section 22 of the West Bengal Secretariat Manual.* Staff and Officers of the Directorates, Regional Offices etc. shall maintain Case Book/Case Diary/Note Book for recording daily performance. They should record notes in these diary/books of their output with regard to allotted duties. Wherever applicable they should mention the issues handled, meetings attended, site inspection/inspection of sub-ordinate offices conducted etc. during the day. The performance of all employees must be checked regularly by superiors, and the performance of the Superior Officers shall also be checked similarly by the Competent Authority. The Departmental Secretaries are to ensure that the rule of the concerned ‘Superior Officer’ and/ or the Competent Authority is clearly notified and that they are made accountable.

** Para 5.1.6 of Chapter I and Para 2 of Chapter VI of the revised Secretariat Manual may be consulted.

B. FOR THE STAFF/OFFICERS ENGAGED IN FIELD DUTIES :

Field Staff/Officers engaged in various field-duties/project works etc. must attend their place of work daily and shall submit a programme of work for every week to the Controlling Authority in advance and at the end of the week the detailed field-diary shall also be submitted to the Controlling Authority.

C. Every Department/Directorate should immediately issue detailed orders based on this circular incorporating specific instructions for any distinct characteristic/condition/cadre of the concerned Department/Directorate for implementation of this order.

D. Every Department/Directorate must specifically identify the Officers to be held accountable for supervising the implementation of this order and related instructions.

E. It shall be the duty of the concerned Departmental Secretary, Head of Directorate, Head of Regional Offices etc., Head of Hospitals and District Magistrates to see that these instructions are rigorously followed in all the offices for which surprise visits/inspection should be undertaken by the Departmental Secretary and other Superior Officers.

F. Performance of employees as well as Supervisory Officers shall be checked regularly by the Departmental Secretary, who will submit a fornightly report on all the aspects of this order to the Departmental Minister and the Departmental Minister may facilitate review of the performance of his Department every month.

G. This order shall take effect from December 15, 2000.

Sd/-Manish Gupta
Chief Secretary to the
Government of West Bengal

No. 10391-F dated 13.12.2000, Source