KOLKATA: Nabanna officials are planning to tighten attendance rules soon by introducing the biometric system.

The government has already started collecting fingerprints from the staff members as they plan to start it after the Puja vacation. Biometric attendance machines have already been installed in all the floors.

On Monday, the state government announced half day on September 17 on account of Viswakarma Puja, but on the same day, the staff members of the chief minister ’s office were asked to reach office by 10.45pm. The official rule is to attend office by 10.15am. One has to be marked late if he or she attends office between 10.15am and 10.45am and after that, they should be marked absent. However, most employees come late on the plea that the lifts do not work properly at Nabanna and it is difficult to climb up 14 floors, said officials.

Many employees turn up after 11pm or even later and leave by 4.30pm. Many leave early on the pretext that they stay in far-off areas and bus services from Nabanna are not adequate. Moreover, many claim they come late as they need to visit Writers’ Buildings, too. But now, chief minister Mamata Banerjee wants her staff to be in office till 5.15pm and reach latest by 10.45am.

The state government has already introduced the biometric attendance system in some of the offices in Salt Lake, including Swasthya Bhavan and Unnayan Bhavan.

