The newly formed BJP government in West Bengal has moved swiftly to tighten discipline across state offices, restoring a strict attendance regime for government employees. In a fresh notification issued from Writers’ Buildings on Tuesday, all state staff have been directed to report to their departments by 10:15 AM and remain in office until 5:15 PM. The order signals Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s first major push to revive what the administration calls a “culture of accountability” inside government departments.
According to the notification issued by the Deputy Secretary of the Finance Department, no employee will be allowed to leave office before the designated closing time unless officially permitted. The directive has been circulated to all departments with instructions for immediate implementation.
The move is being viewed as a significant policy shift under the new government. Officials say the decision has been taken to ensure smoother functioning of departments at a time when several wings of the administration are handling heavy workloads and pending files.
For decades, work culture inside government offices in Bengal has remained a politically sensitive issue. During the Left Front era, critics often accused state offices of chronic delays and sluggish file movement. The phrase “a year takes eighteen months” had become synonymous with bureaucratic inefficiency in public discourse.
When Mamata Banerjee came to power in 2011, her administration attempted to change that perception. Senior officials were repeatedly instructed to speed up file clearances and ensure public services were delivered within deadlines. Banerjee herself frequently chaired administrative review meetings and publicly reprimanded officials over delays in governance.
However, her government also faced criticism over the large number of holidays granted to state employees, with opposition parties often accusing the administration of encouraging a relaxed work culture.
Now, the BJP government appears determined to introduce a stricter administrative framework. Employees will not only have to clock in by 10:15 AM, but will also be restricted from leaving offices during working hours without authorization. Sources within the administration say attendance monitoring may also become more stringent in the coming weeks.
The notification has already sparked intense discussion within bureaucratic circles. Many government employees see it as the return of a rigid “10-to-5” office system, while supporters of the decision argue that tighter discipline is necessary to improve governance and public service delivery.
Political observers believe the order also carries symbolic value. By targeting office attendance and punctuality within days of taking charge, the new government is attempting to send a clear message that administrative discipline and efficiency will be central to its governance model.
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