Lockdown: Assam govt offices reopen on Tuesday

Assam government offices reopened on Tuesday with 33 per cent employees on duty to operationalise government functioning amid continuation of the coronavirus-triggered lockdown till May 3 next.

The employees reported for duty adhering to lockdown protocols and social distancing norms. They were also seated at a distance of six-feet from each other, officials said. The protocol of sanitisation and maintenance of social distancing at the offices as prescribed in the National Directives for COVID-19 Management of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) order dated April 15 was being followed scrupulously, they said.

In Guwahati, the employees were transported to and from their offices in buses provided by the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC).

In other parts of the state, the employees came to their workplace in their own vehicles, the employees claimed. Central government offices and PSUs were also functioning.

Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar Krishna had on Monday said that all government offices and PSUs will have to provide transportation and no private vehicle would be allowed.

Most government offices, except emergency services, in the state were closed after the lockdown came into force on March 25. Initially, the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus was scheduled to continue till April 14. Later it was extended till May 3.

A state government order issued on April 18 had decided to start the functioning of all its departments and the Secretariat from April 21 to ensure delivery of public services. The state government order had said that the head of the administrative department will ensure that officers of the rank of deputy secretary and above shall attend office regularly and other Grade-I and Grade-lI officers may attend office as required from April 21.

The prescribed protocol of sanitisation and maintenance of social distancing at the offices should be followed scrupulously, it said.

The head of the administrative department will also ensure that up to a maximum of 33 per cent of the staff of Grade-III and Grade-IV categories of the department as per requirement shall attend office on rotation as and when required on need basis from April 21.

These instructions shall, however, not apply to the offices and employees engaged in essential/ emergency services and those directly engaged in taking measures to control spread of COVID-19, it added.

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