LG dept starts crackdown on ghost staff

Biometric attendance, salary payment through bank launched

LAHORE:

Punjab Local Government (LG) Department has launched a major crackdown against ghost employees in the sanitation services.

Attendance of the sanitation workers will now be taken through biometric system, while salary will only be paid via bank transfer. The department has decided to issue service card to all employees that must be worn during duty. The measures are part of a policy implemented to eradicate the issue of ghost employment.

Punjab LG Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal had written a letter to officials concerned, giving them the task to identify ghost employees and improve the services. The secretary stated that arrangements should be made to take biometric attendance of sanitary workers. He said that the administration officials should regularly monitor the attendance of the workers at their stations and report regularly. “Service cards should be issued to identify all the employees of the departments.

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All sanitary workers will be required to wear service cards round the clock during duty hours. Administrators should ensure that all employees are paid by bank transfer only.” According to the LG secretary, identification of ghost employees will save the public exchequer from loss. “Strict action will be taken against such ghost employees in accordance with the law.”

Sources stated that there was a large number of ghost employees in the LG department who were receiving their salaries every month but did not show up for duty. The sources added that the employees were recruited on political grounds in the past by different governments and the department did not have complete record about them.