Frequent cases derail public dealing in MC, UT offices

CHANDIGARH:WITH more and more officials and employees of the UT administration and municipal corporation testing positive for Covid-19, the work in public dealing offices has come to a grinding halt.

The worst hit by the pandemic are the office of the deputy commissioner (including registrar office), estate office, RLA and MC, where routine works have been delayed by months.

One of the busiest public-dealing offices, RLA in Sector 17 was completely shut down on Wednesday after its four employees tested positive in the recent past. Reports of over 40 are awaited. “For transferring ownership of a car, which required one or two days, now the RLA office is giving appointment of two to three months. DC’S office and estate office have also prohibited public visits. Residents are at the receiving end of these shutdowns, as not everyone can easily get through to officials concerned over the phone,” said Hitesh Puri, chairman, Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation.

RLA, MC LATEST TO GET IMPACTED

Before the pandemic hit the city in March, at least 800 people visited the RLA office on an average per day. After the lockdown restrictions were lifted in June, RLA introduced online appointments for all its services. But, even then the office saw a daily footfall of nearly 400 people.

“For now, the office has been closed till August 31, but if more employees test positive, the shutdown may be extended,” said a senior UT official.

On Thursday, parts of MC office in Sector 17, including the booking department, vendors’ registration office, fire department, etc., were sealed for 48 hours after a social development officer tested positive. He was into public dealing with street vendors among others.

Earlier, other parts of the MC office were sealed after an official of the additional commissioner level was found infected.

REPEATED SHUTDOWNS

Since July, when the city started to witness sharp surge in Covid-19 cases, the DC office and estate office in Sector 17 have been frequently closed whenever their employees test positive.

Even after the offices are reopened after disinfection, public access to offices remains limited to just an hour, that too with appointment. A senior estate official said, “When an employee tests positive, we have to quarantine all their contacts, which affects staffing. Then, other employees also go on leave fearing risk of infection.”