While everyone deserves a break, in Meghalaya the holiday season affects the functioning of government offices every year. The holiday mood starts from the fourth week of December and extends to the entire month of January when government employees come in dribs and drabs. The Secretariat wears a deserted look and so too the directorates, but more so those offices located beyond Shillong, in distant districts and sub-divisions. Even the primary health centres (PHCs) are affected as doctors take off on vacations without anyone even bothering to ensure that there are replacements for the medical officers who are on leave. Can any Government function in this manner? So why talk of good governance when the Government cannot ensure the attendance of its own employees?
In 2013, government employees also enjoyed several unscheduled holidays due to office picketing and bandhs. Yet none suffered any pay cut for not even attempting to attend office. The entire government machinery has become a joke! No wonder there are so many projects hanging fire and so many files left unattended by unscrupulous clerks who could not be bothered with their responsibilities but are well aware of their rights. At this rate do we wonder why Meghalaya is in the bottom of the heap as far as development is concerned? Curiously the same people who bunk duties, attend office late everyday and leave early are most active in churches and prayer services! Is this not the most blatant form of corruption? Think of the number of days lost in a year because people stroll in to their places of work by midday. And all of them have excuses galore! The Meghalaya Government is the most benign one in the entire country for elsewhere people start work at 9.30 am and leave not earlier than 5 pm. It is high time that the State Government changes its terms of employment and employs people on contract basis. There is too much public money expended on non-performing liabilities!
