New Delhi: Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to inaugurate the Kartavya Bhavan Wednesday, employees of the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) have written to the PMO and the urban affairs ministry saying the cramped work spaces given to them lack “spatial integrity” and are demoralising officers.
“It is pertinent to highlight that the seating arrangement in Kartavya Bhavan-3 lacks the necessary spatial integrity and functional separations for its sections,” says the 5 August letter.
According to several officers, in the older buildings, even section officers had rooms of their own, albeit shared ones, while deputy secretaries and under-secretaries had individual rooms. In the new building, section and assistant section officers (SOs and ASOs) have been given no rooms, while under secretaries and deputy secretaries of the CSS have been given shared rooms.
This, the officers have said in the letter, “adversely affects focus and critical thinking”, as well as “discreet handling of sensitive matters”.
“Under secretaries, who are entrusted to handle highly sensitive and confidential matters like classified files, court cases, and vigilance issues, require a private workspace,” the letter says. “However, they have been provided open office space, wherein their telephonic and in-person discussions with senior authorities and other officials can be easily overheard, posing a serious risk to confidentiality.”
This “directly undermines the Prime Minister’s vision of providing adequate and modernized working environment for all officers,” the letter states. “It seems the very infrastructure designed to last for decades is being mismanaged and failing to meet its intended purpose from the very beginning.”
This is against the office space norms provided by the Ministry of Urban Development, the officers have argued.
Officers of other services like the IAS, who have been appointed as deputy secretaries or directors, have been allocated individual rooms as per entitled space, the letter adds.
Underscoring the need for section officers to be given enclosed chambers, the officers have written that: “Under secretaries and above, as Group A officers, are entrusted with handling sensitive and confidential matters, including vigilance, procurement, commercial bids, and the signing of sensitive official documents like affidavits in court cases etc.”
“To ensure the confidentiality and importance of their work, it is imperative that their officers are designed as closed chambers.”
Moreover, in the new arrangement, these officers do not even have seats for visitors.
The officers have demanded mandating the allocation of adequate office space, including closed chambers for all Group A CSS Officers (under secretaries and above) in view of official dealing with sensitive and secret issues, in all newly constructed government buildings under the Central Vista project. Further, for sections dealing with confidential issues, the officers have asked for the provision of closed chambers for concerned ASOs and SOs in order to maintain confidentiality of their requisite tasks.
“This arbitrariness and discrimination is very discouraging,” an officer said. “At least for officers serving in the same position, there should be parity of space allotment.”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also read: New Central Vista office spaces: 1st building to be ready by April, Centre tells Parliament
T Print one third class mind and polluted mind always think negative.
They have cubicles right there in photo. and we generally use meeting rooms for confidential stuff.