Biometric attendance ‘fails’ at BMC offices

The current market rate for these machines ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 per machine.

According to officials from the municipal administration department,the corporation procured these in mid-2011. An official said,“We installed bio-metric machines for attendance as there is no chance of proxy or any other discrepancy. However,when there is a problem with the machine,we have to use the muster.”

The systems have been installed at the BMC headquarters,all ward offices,public hospitals and at the new BMC Worli Engineering Hub.

Of the systems installed in the 24 ward offices,178 in the A,B,C,D and E ward buildings are functional. In other ward offices,none of the 635 machines works. Not one of the 15 machines installed at the BMC’s swanky new office for its engineering department in Worli,is used.

According to the RTI response,only machines installed at the BMC headquarters,Nair Hospital,Nair Dental Hospital,Sion Hospital,KEM Hospital and five octroi nakas are used regularly. None of attendance systems at five special hospitals,16 peripheral hospitals and 26 maternity homes is working.

“Since most of the other machines at the headquarters do not work,we have to stand in long lines to punch our timings. Sometimes this can delay us,” said an official at the BMC assessment and collection department.