TEAM HERALD
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MARGAO: Margao Municipal Chief Officer on Tuesday had a meeting with the city fathers in a bid to seek support and cooperation on the implementation of the controversial bio-metric finger scan readers.
The CO has received the go-ahead to implement the finger scan readers to bring about discipline amongst the employees. The councillors, said that the CO should not withhold the staff salaries if they have put in work.
The meeting assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the consistent refusal by the employees to use the finger scan readers. It is learnt that the CO had convened the meeting to obtain backing of councillors to withhold their salaries for the period they have not used the finger scan readers.
A section of the councillors, however, suggested that the CO invite the office bearers of the employees for discussions to convince them on the need to use the finger scan readers. However, the suggestion came in for strong objection from the rival group, who pointed out that the issue has been hanging fire since the last several years.
The CO later told newsmen that the question of stopping payments to the employees for their failure to use the bio-metric readers will take place from next month. “We have no intention to block or deny salaries to the employees. But at the same time, the Council has verbally told the employees to use the bio-metric finger scan reader or they would not get the salaries,” she asserted.
The meeting ran into rough weather at the fag end with the opposition and ruling councillors coming face-to- face right in the presence of the CO. Attempts to pacify the groups went in vain.
