Rich Naga culture of ‘No Work, Yes Pay’ prospers in Phek’s offices too

Joining the rest of Nagaland in observing the get-salary-no-work culture, government employees stationed in Phek district have been found to be contributing to the state’s ignominy by not attending work, the Chakhesang students’ have found.

The all-too familiar, still-unchecked and exchequer-draining saga of truant officials and work-shirking employees of the Nagaland government continue across the Christian state. Leaders of the Chakhesang Students Union (CSU) found out during a recent “surprise check” of various government institutions in the town that government employees were not attending office for an even surprising reason: no work.  

The CSU issued a press statement offering findings from a surprise checking of government departments within Chakhesang areas the union undertook during July 6-July 17. The students’ organization informed that the leaders of the CSU had undertaken “surprise checking” in all government offices in Phek town headquarters and three sub-divisions of the district, The subdivisions were Chozuba, Pfutsero and Chizami.

“The tour was undertaken with utmost concern for the welfare of the citizens and inhabitants of Phek district. The union had received several complains (sic) from various sources on the poor functioning of government offices, especially in terms of attendance of government employees,” the students’ organization stated.

According to the students’ union, workers who were in office cited ‘several reasons’ for the absence of employees in their work places. One of the stated reasons stood out: ‘no work’.  

“…it comes as a surprise to the union for any head of department or government employee to be absent from duty citing that there is no work. The union does acknowledge that heads of departments or certain staffs have to frequent their respective departments in Kohima, however it has been found that many government employees use it as an excuse to take extended leave of absence,” the Chakhesang students stated.

“The irregularity and absence of several heads of departments is detrimental to the functioning of any office, which effects the administration of the works and functioning of the concerned department but also sets a bad example to his/her subordinates and subsequently, becomes impossible for any individual to expect such departments to function properly or even adequately”.

Further, the CSU lamented that not only were government institutions in Phek district “not functioning” as they should, the offices do not open on time. To make matters worse, the CSU found out, “they either closed early or the employees leave early”, the statement explained.

The CSU continued: Several offices were found to be closed, while there were also some had doors open but with no staffers present. “It is the public that suffers from the lack of dedication from the government employees, those who travel long distances, especially to the district headquarters,” the students stated in the report.

Thankfully, not all the offices were culpable:  The union found some departments functioning “to the best of their capacities”. The organization acknowledged and appreciated the heads of departments and staff members that were found regular and “dedicated to serve and work for the welfare of the public”. The CSU hopes that they would continue to work ‘with the same vigor and spirit’.

The members of the union interacted with employees who happened to be present in office during the raid. The interaction was ‘to understand any grievances the departments might have,’ the CSU explained.

On completion of the tour, CSU leaders met with the deputy commissioner of Phek and handed over a complete report on July 21. The organization has urged the administration to take action against erring government employees who have been shirking their responsibilities. The deputy commissioner has also been requested to take steps to ‘streamline all the departments in the district for the benefit of the public’.

The CSU has issued a warning to the erring government workers: “The union will not tolerate the hindrances to public works or to the public in any manner due to the lackadaisical attitude of government officials and staffs. The union demands that all government employees attend and serve the public and work for the uplift of the district as intended’.

The union expressed expectation of “proper maintenance” of attendance registers in the office. During the first ‘surprise check’ that the CSU undertook, the statement said, “it was found that attendance register were not properly maintained in almost all the offices”.

If any department or employees are found to be lacking in their responsibilities in the next surprise visit, the Chakhesang students stated, the organization would be “compelled to take its own course of action against the same”.

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