Unauthorized leave: Tough action awaits Assam government employees

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The State Government will adopt a strict approach against unauthorized absence of employees soon.

According to official sources, the government has already instructed the heads of departments to take action against unauthorized absences as per financial and service rules.

The state administration has enough teeth to take action against unauthorized absences. However, leniency on the part of the higher-ups has given officials much leeway. A section of employees takes one or two days extra along with their authorized leave. Another section of employees goes on unauthorized leave and regularizes it after joining the office. This post-facto leave approval (done afterwards) continues in the state administration. The government has asked the heads of departments to check this practice. Several applications are pending in the Secretariat for post-facto leave approval.

Since manual attendance continues in the offices, a section of officials who remains absent signs the attendance register the next day, sometimes with mutual understanding with their higher officers concerned.

The government spends around Rs 26,000 crore yearly for salaries and pensions. This year the employees got 34 holidays on average, besides Sundays and second and fourth Saturdays. They avail of casual leave, earned leave, medical leave and two days' leave for Pitri-Matri Vandana every year. Despite all these facilities, a section avails of unauthorized leaves.

According to sources, the government has asked the heads of departments to consider only the genuine cases in post-facto approval of leave so as not to make them suffer for no fault of theirs.

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