Considering a fresh request made by the Karnataka State Government Employees Association (KSGEA) on April 1 seeking a change in office hours in the districts that record high temperature in summer, the government on Sunday issued an order changing regular schedule of its offices in the seven districts of Kalaburagi Division and Vijayapura and Bagalkot districts in Belagavi Division.
As per the order, the new schedule would start at 8 a.m. and conclude at 1.30 p.m. The new schedule would become effective on Monday and remain in force till the end of May 2021.
The government had, on March 31, issued an order clearly turning down the demand made by KSGEA on March 17 citing the spread of COVID-19. The KSGEA made another request on April 1 pressing for the demand.
The government directed the employees in the districts concerned to discharge their duties ensuring that the public did not suffer from the changed working hours.
It was also made clear that the order would not apply to those employees who are assigned special tasks by Deputy Commissioners and Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Panchayats of the respective districts in emergency, especially with regard to COVID-19.