SMC Cracks Down on Late Employees With Surprise Checks

SURAT : Late arrivals are now under the scanner at the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), with the civic administration ordering surprise inspections across offices and departments. The move has put employees who routinely report late on notice and signals stricter action for attendance violations.

The Vigilance Department has begun conducting surprise visits at the SMC headquarters and various departmental and zonal offices following complaints about employees arriving late.

Officials are checking attendance during these visits and preparing data for cross-verification with the corporation’s biometric attendance system.

Deputy Commissioner Nidhi Sivach said the inspections are part of the civic body’s regular monitoring mechanism.

“This is a routine procedure for us. We regularly inspect records and employee attendance across zonal and departmental offices to monitor arrival times,” Sivach said.

She added that surprise checks are also conducted to verify whether biometric attendance records accurately reflect employees’ arrival times.

“Although a biometric punching system is in place at the corporation, we conduct these inspection drives for cross-verification purposes,” she said.

According to officials, employees found violating attendance rules will face disciplinary action. A memo may be issued for an initial violation. If the employee repeats the offence, Casual Leave (CL) can be deducted and the employee may be marked absent.

Repeat violations could invite further punitive action under the applicable service rules.

The monitoring will cover employees across levels, including senior officials and Executive Engineers. The administration has indicated that attendance rules will not be limited to lower-level staff.

Field employees are also subject to attendance monitoring. Officials said field staff can record their presence by sending photographs carrying Google location details and time stamps.

The inspection drive comes amid the administration’s emphasis on punctuality and accountability within the civic body. Officials are expected to compare surprise inspection findings with biometric records before deciding on individual cases.

The crackdown is likely to increase scrutiny of habitual latecomers, as the civic administration prepares to take action based on documented attendance violations.