Giving a strong message on negligence and irresponsibility in the Excise Department today, Excise Commissioner Anuradha Pal conducted a surprise inspection of the Garhwal Division and the office of District Excise Officer, Dehradun.
During this time, many officers and employees were found absent from their workplace, which made the Commissioner furious.
According to sources, Commissioner Anuradha Pal reached the office for inspection without any prior notice. Her purpose was to take stock of the departmental functioning, attendance and progress of daily work. But as soon as she entered the office, she found that officers and employees sitting on many important posts were absent.
Seeing this situation, she immediately sought clarification from the concerned officers and issued show cause notices to them for being absent.
During the inspection, the Commissioner said in clear words that timely attendance and work execution in government offices is very important for serving the public.
The absence of officers not only slows down the pace of work, but also tarnishes the image of the department. He said, “When the officers themselves are not serious about their responsibilities, how will the general public get timely services?”
The Commissioner warned that if the reply to the show cause notice is not satisfactory, then the process ranging from departmental action to service related punishment will be adopted. He also directed that such a situation should not be repeated in future and all officers and employees should reach the office on time.
It is worth noting that surprise inspections are conducted from time to time in the Excise Department to ensure that government work is being done smoothly and with transparency. But the situation revealed in today’s inspection makes it clear that more stringent steps need to be taken to maintain discipline within the department.
This strictness of the Commissioner in the public and departmental interest is being considered a positive step, which can improve the working style of the employees in future. This action is also a warning to other districts and divisions that negligence and irresponsibility will no longer be tolerated
