Babus reach office late, leave early and complain as usual

There was not much change in the life in offices except that they all left a bit early. Still there were complaints. That they are forced to get up at inhuman hours. That they can8217;t leave at 5 p.m. as their superiors stay on late.

The Chief Minister8217;s office was open past 6 p.m while Speaker Prem Singh8217;s office closed at 6. Says S.N.Sikka, secretary to Assembly Speaker Prem Singh: 8220;Do you expect us to leave at 5 p.m. when our superiors are working or when there is a lot of work which have deadlines?8221;

Another officer in the Old Secretariat who did not want to be named fumed: 8220;If this change is meant to save electricity then the Government should not allow any office to remain open after 5 p.m.. Now we will be spending more electricity as we will start the day early and leave at the same time around 8 p.m., 9 p.m. or later.8221;

Health Minister A.K. Walia, whose office was working well after 7 p.m., confirms his misgivings. 8220;Our day is of 18 hours and these timings apply to people who have eight-hour days,8221; says Walia.

Some employees complain that the change in office hours has turned their lives upside down. Take this. 8220;The office may start early but there is no train for people like me who come from Ghaziabad. And when the day ends at 5 p.m. there is no train to return,8221; says an employee at Education Secretary Narendra Prasad8217;s office.

Even the idea of leaving early is not making them happy. 8220;Who wants to leave at 5 in this hot summer?8221; says an official at the Directorate of Higher Education. 8220;It is not going to rain everyday like it did today,8221; he says.

Debashri Mukherjee, an additional director, says that the first half of the new timings will be ignored but the second half will be obeyed to the dot. 8220;People will continue to come late and can leave early too,8221; she says, 8220;rain or shine.8221;