Bilal Rehmani

Bandipora, Aug 18 (KNS): In the remote Gurez sub-district of north Kashmir’s Bandipora, late coming of government employees to their offices has become a new routine, crippling public services and leaving the local population in distress.

A visit by the Kashmir News Service (KNS) team to several government offices today revealed widespread absenteeism, late arrivals, and the absence of biometric attendance systems.

At the ICDS office, only one staffer was present out of five, with the Child Development Project Officer holding additional charge and others skipping duty despite scheduled training tomorrow. The Power Development Department office opened only at 10:35 a.m. with three employees present and one absent, while the AEE too is on additional charge. At the Block Development Office, only one of four staff had reported for duty by 10:49 a.m. Similar scenes were witnessed at the Tehsil Supply Office, Agriculture, Horticulture, R&B, Tehsil Office, and Social Welfare Office, where either staff was absent, or no biometric attendance system was being followed. In many cases, employees were on leave or simply failed to turn up, and in some offices, staff attended duties at their own convenience.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

Residents expressed strong resentment over the lack of accountability. They said late coming and absenteeism have become a daily affair in Gurez, with employees strolling into offices at will. “Nobody takes interest in checking these offices. Officials attend duties on their own time while the public keeps waiting for essential work,” locals told KNS.

They demanded that higher authorities conduct surprise checks and ensure biometric attendance in every office to restore discipline.

Locals further said that the absence of staff particularly affects ordinary villagers, many of whom travel long distances in difficult terrain only to find offices closed or understaffed. “People here face double hardships—geographic isolation and official negligence,” another resident said.

The findings underline how poor monitoring and weak accountability are hampering governance in one of Kashmir’s most remote regions, where timely access to government services is already a challenge.(KNS)