SHILLONG: Government employees in Meghalaya enjoy a half-an-hour relaxation of working hours from 5 pm to 4.30 pm during the cold months.
However, this is not compensated by early arrival and employees come to office at the usual time that is 10 am.
Due to the change in schedule from November to February, man-hour loss for the government is 60 hours.
Though the access machines set up at the state secretariat has improved attendance, this has not improved the work culture.
There were attempts in the past to have separate time zones for the North East in view of the prolonged winter as it gets dark early in this region compared to the mainland where it suns sets only around 6.30-7 pm.
Chief Secretary Y Tsering recently said a separate time zone for the state is not viable as the government will always have to connect with Delhi for various engagements.
“If we leave office early in the evening, it will be still working time in Delhi and if we start working early in the morning, we will not be able to get in touch with any officers in Delhi as the working hours will be different for them,” the chief secretary said.
