Porvorim,July 15: RTI activist Sudip Narayan Tamankar has lodged a formal complaint with the Director (Administration) of the Water Resources Department (WRD), alleging a complete breakdown of office administration at the Works Division VII office in Dhargalim after finding no officers or staff present during official working hours.

In his complaint dated July 15, Tamankar stated that he had informed Executive Engineer Yatin Shirodkar on July 13 about his intention to collect information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. As the Executive Engineer was required to attend a meeting convened by the Chief Secretary, Tamankar was requested to visit the office on the morning of July 14.

However, according to the complaint, when he reached the WRD Works Division VII office at around 10.30 a.m. on July 14, he found the office virtually non-functional, with no officer or staff member present. He alleged that the absence of employees caused inconvenience to members of the public who had visited the office for official work.

Tamankar stated that he contacted Executive Engineer Yatin Shirodkar over the phone, who reportedly informed him that he had been directed to visit the WRD Head Office in Porvorim for signing official documents and, therefore, could not reach the divisional office on time. While acknowledging the explanation, Tamankar maintained that the complete absence of subordinate officers and ministerial staff pointed to a serious failure of office administration and supervision.

The complainant further stated that he attempted to contact the Chief Engineer, but was informed that the officer had travelled to Delhi for an official meeting. He also contacted the Officer on Special Duty to the Water Resources Minister and the Director (Administration), seeking immediate intervention, but claimed that no effective action could be taken at that stage.

In the complaint, Tamankar alleged that the incident reflected a serious lapse in office discipline, punctuality, supervision and accountability. He referred to Rule 3 of the Goa Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1979, stating that every government servant is expected to maintain integrity, devotion to duty and punctual attendance.

He also questioned the implementation of the government’s mandatory biometric attendance system, claiming that he did not notice any biometric attendance unit at the office entrance. He argued that failure to install, maintain or monitor such a system defeats the objective of ensuring transparency and accountability in government offices.

Tamankar has demanded an immediate departmental inquiry into the absence of officers and staff on July 14. He has sought verification of biometric attendance records, CCTV footage, attendance registers, biometric logs and visitor registers to determine the actual time of arrival of all employees.

He has also called for verification of whether the biometric attendance system has been properly installed and maintained. If lapses are established, he has urged the department to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the officials responsible, including the Executive Engineer, Head Clerk and any other officer found negligent.

Additionally, Tamankar has requested the Water Resources Department to issue directions to all its offices to ensure strict adherence to office timings, compulsory biometric attendance, effective supervision and uninterrupted public service.

Describing the matter as one directly affecting citizens seeking public services under the RTI Act and other laws, Tamankar has urged the department to treat the complaint as “most urgent,” conduct an impartial inquiry, fix responsibility on delinquent officials and communicate the action taken at the earliest in the larger public interest.