Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The municipal corporation administration has previously undertaken several initiatives to ensure that officers and employees report to work on time. Initially, thumb impression-based machines were introduced. When that experiment failed, face-reading machines were installed. Now, an attendance app has been introduced. Under this system, employees are required to mark their attendance three times a day. The annual cost of this attendance app per employee is Rs 720. The administration has passed a resolution to pay Rs 36 lakh to a private company for 5,000 employees. The implementation of this resolution has already begun under emergency provisions.
Although the administration launched the attendance app two months ago, it has faced several issues. Employees are required to take and upload a selfie through the app to mark their attendance. While this may seem simple, technical glitches in the app often make it difficult to do so promptly. Every morning and evening, many employees can be seen standing in the municipal corporation premises, trying to mark their attendance on their mobile phones. Due to these technical difficulties, the administration processed March salaries using the old system. However, salaries for April will be based strictly on attendance recorded through the app, it is said. Meanwhile, employees have become extremely frustrated with the app.
The app was developed by AM Ventures Pvt. Ltd. Initially, the company proposed a charge of Rs 861.40 per employee, including GST. However, after negotiations with the administration, the company agreed to reduce the cost to Rs 720 per employee annually.
The total number of employees in the municipal corporation, including permanent, contractual, and self-help group workers, exceeds 5,000. Accordingly, the administration agreed to pay Rs 36 lakh annually for the app service. A resolution regarding this payment was also approved by the Standing Committee.
Administration sees benefits
The administration has presented its stance regarding the attendance app. According to them, after implementing this system, some unnecessary contractual employees were reduced, leading to a partial saving of funds. Moreover, for employees who report late or whose attendance is not recorded in the app for a given day, their salary for that day will be deducted.
Lakhs were wasted earlier as well
The municipal corporation had previously spent lakhs of rupees on thumb impression and face-reading machines. However, all these machines are now lying unused and gathering dust. Even after purchasing an app from a private company, the annual maintenance and service costs have proven to be financially burdensome. Despite this, the administration remains firm on continuing with the app.