Venkaiah Naidu is greeted with empty desks at UD Ministry in Nirman Bhawan on Monday. Venkaiah Naidu is greeted with empty desks at UD Ministry in Nirman Bhawan on Monday.

Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu got more firsthand experience of his very own corner of babudom on Monday when a morning walkthrough of Nirman Bhawan revealed vacant chairs and desolate workstations all around.

The minister, who had reached office at the unearthly time of 9.10 am and began his day with about an hour spent checking office rooms on different floors of the building that house the Urban Development (UD), Housing and Poverty Alleviation ministries, " caught at least 70- 80 of them who had yet not reached their office seats''. That Eid- ul- Fitr, a gazetted holiday, is on Tuesday had a lot to do with Naidu's Monday shock, because many of the missing officials were among those enjoying an extended weekend. What makes it worse for Monday's missing babus is that this is the second time in less than six weeks that Naidu has caught them ' bunking'.

New work culture

The list of the missing includes a few director rank officials, a bunch of section officers, some lower divisional clerks and under secretaries, besides Grade IV employees, mostly peons. "Last time when he ( Naidu) did a surprise check on June 12, there were a couple of joint secretaries among the other 110- 120 persons, including directors and senior rank officials, in the missing list," a senior UD official said on condition of anonymity.

Naidu was lenient the first time, but this time was different. It is learnt that the minister also got some toilets checked on some floors when he was told that an officer has "just gone to the washroom". The washroom searches didn't yield any babus.

The 64-year-old minister is unequivocal about his agenda.

Television grabs of Union minister Venkaiah Naidu's surprise checks at Nirman Bhawan on Monday morning show several section officers, lower divisional clerks and under secretaries missing from their desks. Television grabs of Union minister Venkaiah Naidu's surprise checks at Nirman Bhawan on Monday morning show several section officers, lower divisional clerks and under secretaries missing from their desks.

His mantra is: "Enforce strict discipline in work culture at Nirman Bhavan, or face consequences."

Naidu told Mail Today: "Sarkar badli hai, sanskriti badli hai, ravaiya bhi badalna hoga, yeh Modi zamana hai (The government has changed, the culture has changed, the manner of working must also change.This is the Modi era)."

In what could be the first step to enforce strict office discipline, a biometric attendance system will soon be employed at the urban ministries. Naidu was heard telling his officials during checking: " Change your mindset and come out of the decadeold office culture manifesting in apathy towards public and lack of complete transparency and accountability in service delivery."

Speaking to MAIL TODAY , Naidu said: "Such a work services delivery to realise the objectives of good governance set by Prime Minister Modi."

An angry Naidu is learnt to have taken a strong view of the absenteeism, telling UD Secretary Shankar Aggarwal to take action against all the names on the "missing list". He also issued some strict directions, including asking all joint secretaries of the two ministries to visit their respective establishments every day for a week to monitor attendance and seek out chronic offenders; necessary and immediate action to be taken against those who report late for work; attendance registers to be withdrawn 15 minutes after 'due time of reporting'; and latecomers to be marked absent for the day and not be paid for the same.

Poor punctuality and attendance is urban legend in the Central Public Works Department, and it came in for special mention. Aggarwal was asked to take up the matter with CPWD Director General.