Unnecessary Government Officespace

Muslim Murasu, January 2011

Two parts can be observed from a visit to a government office - furnitures and files. Salaries of government employees are credited in banks these days. Gone are the days when one employee had to bring money, another to count it, another to distribute it, while a full day was celebrated and wasted as salary-day, roaming without doing any work. A quarter of the office hours is spoilt in securing attendance registry, leave registry, activities and tasks files. Government works are substantively hampered. Many hours, days, weeks and years are spent in each office in searching files and archives. Abject foolishness has become a practice. Salary is wasted in searching for corresponding files while consumer is made to run from pillar to post. Urgent schemes are put in cold storage. Delay in spending funds. Bills are not met with early remittances. Even after government has alloted fund, confusion in spending it. Atrocities of demonic auditors and honest employers being punished have become a custom. Unnecessary turmoils in hearts. Reform is needed to change the situation of useless government service and employers from whom it has become impossible to harness work. Piece rate concept akin to private firms should be implemented – remuneration should be given only for completed work, else salary should be rejected. Cursed practices of English system should be disposed of with urgency. Government should give relief, solution or reply within three days after getting three memos or requests without delay. Signature of two employees should suffice. New files should be created on the lines of principle for witness. Time should not be wasted in searching for old files. Government should foremost believe its employees. They should be provided leeway to operate. Their signature should be respected. There is no need to call for ten officers for extra review and signature. In the form of government offices, exorbitant amount of money is being wasted. Rented buildings are not needed for protecting furnitures and files. Data can be stored in laptops and central servers. Big cabins are not needed for officers. As much space that will accommodate laptop should suffice. Rent will be saved. Files that are three years old can be gutted down. Godowns of files and archives come by as government offices today. 40000 rupees salary for protecting files. This affects efficiency and attitude of the employee. Time is wasted in searching and passing on files. Government should move out of rented offices. This will save tax money. Employee will engage in useful service to the public.