Soon, residents will be able to keep tabs on Chandigarh MC staff

Sandeep Rana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 21

Residents of the City Beautiful will soon be able to track the online location of sanitation workers deputed in their respective areas on the basis of GPS-enabled smart watches.

The MC will be making the facility available on the website to provide accessibility to the residents. The software will show the presence of the workers deployed in a particular area. If residents find workers are either absent or are fewer than the sanctioned number, then they can bring the matter to the notice of the authorities.

The civic body had launched an application a few days ago with which officers are now able to track the staff’s location on their mobile phone. It is expected that in a month’s time, the service for residents will also become operational. “We have launched an app so that the officials concerned can keep a track of the location of workers. Soon, residents will also be able to keep a check on workers deputed on the field job,” said Dr Amrit Warring, Medical Officer of Health, MC.

Officers in the MC said the introduction of GPS watches had helped them curb the earlier problem of ghost employees. Besides, it has significantly improved the field attendance of workers.

On the one hand, the MC has strengthened the online tracking system, but on the other, at the last House meeting, a committee was formed to review the decision to equip 40,000 employees of different wings of the corporation with GPS watches. While the move was made on the insistence of the ruling BJP after safai workers’ unions went on strike, most officers are in favour of GPS watches.

At the first committee meeting held recently, councillor and former mayor Rajesh Kalia sought to know from the officers what was the benefit of the watches on which about Rs18 lakh per month was being paid as rent. According to Kalia, the watches showed false location. Like in some cases when an employee was working in Sector 17, the watch showed the location of Kedarnath. But officers maintained there could be some issue with one or two watches, but not all.