BENGALURU: Discontent is brewing among government employees over the prolonged Socio-Economic and Educational Survey. Already burdened with work due to staff shortage, they now anticipate piles of work once they return to their offices after completing the survey.
The survey, which started on September 22, was to end on October 7, but with only around 60 per cent of enumeration complete in many parts of the state, the government decided to extend the survey deadline to October 18, ahead of the Deepavali festival break. Now, the government claims the survey is complete in most of the districts, except in Bengaluru where it is due to continue till October 31. Teachers have been relieved from survey work.
The Karnataka Government Employees’ Association, which had earlier written to the Chief Secretary seeking exemption from survey duty during Deepavali, has written another letter urging the State government to exempt teachers taking up the Karnataka State Eligibility Test for the post of assistant professor in various degree colleges and universities. The test is scheduled on November 2, and the association has urged the government to allow these teachers to study.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Secretariat Association staff is threatening to quit survey work midway as their office work has piled up. They had urged the government to relieve over 1,600 staffers from the secretariat deputed for the ongoing survey.
Association President Ramesh Sanga had mentioned that secretariat staff cannot be considered as other department staff, as they look into communication between the State and Central governments, contempt of court cases, government
cases before various courts, agenda to be discussed at cabinet meetings, RTI cases and other major issues. With their absence, these jobs have been partially stalled.
Official sources in the government told The New Indian Express that for the past one month, staff on deputation are on the ground, taking part in the survey. “We have staff shortage in many departments. In some departments, one person is doing two people’s work, and now that he or she is taking part in the survey, a lot of work would have piled up,” he said.
Referring to the Secretariat employees’ plea, a member of the government association said work has not halted only in Bengaluru or Vidhana Soudha. “Letters from here are communicated to district level officials and staff who work at the DC’s office, zilla panchayats and taluk panchayats. When there is no staff at the district level, who should send the mails,’’ he asked. According to him, staff are getting frustrated as the date is getting extended but their work is not complete.
