Resentment in UP bureaucracy over Yogi's 9 a.m. diktat

Most of the officers that this correspondent spoke to said that the Chief Minister's new order would leave them with almost no family time.

IMAGE: PTI

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's latest diktat, asking all government officers to reach their offices by 9 a.m. is causing considerable resentment in the bureaucracy, particularly among officers posted in the districts.

The Chief Minister, in his order, has said that all officers should reach officer by 9 a.m. and all District Magistrates and Police chiefs should meet the public from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The order comes in the wake of complaints that District Magistrates and Police chiefs were not available for the common man. The Chief Minister's office has made it clear that officers who do not reach office in time would face action. However, officers feel that if the Chief Minister has set 9 a.m. as the office time, he should also fix a time for going home. "The Chief Minister's meetings often extend till late in the night. If we are reaching home at 11 p.m., should we be expected to return to office at 9 a.m. the following morning?" asked a Principal Secretary rank officer. The Police chiefs in the districts are particularly distressed with the order. A Police chief in Western UP said: "As Superintendent of Police, I am expected to be available till the wee hours of the morning. For instance, there was an accident in my district and I was on duty till 4.a.m. How can I be expected to be back in office at 9 a.m. then? In the districts, we are on duty almost 24x7." Most of the officers that this correspondent spoke to said that the Chief Minister's new order would leave them with almost no family time. An Additional Chief Secretary rank officer said: "More than me, it is my staff that is upset with this order. If I have to reach office by 9 a.m., my driver will have to leave home at 7.30 a.m., so that he can reach my house in time. The similar is the case with the other staff that stays back in the office till I leave. There should be some flexibility." According to officer: "The Chief Minister should ensure that there are no pending files and work is done on time. What is the use of sitting in office and doing no work?"