NEW DELHI: As parts of India stirred to life on Monday amid a conditional easing of the lockdown, confusion prevailed in Delhi and NCR on how to regulate the surge of people and traffic caused by absence of clarity on aspects such as who among the junior central government workforce would constitute one-third of the office turnout allowed on a given day.
The attendance conundrum compelled police to permit movement solely on the basis of employee identity cards, resulting in even those not supposed to attend office moving around freely.
Traffic in the New Delhi Municipal Council area and on roads along the CGO complex, where most central government offices are located, was heavier than expected despite strict checking at multiple points.
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Delhi Police’s special branch had issued a circular on Sunday, saying “all central government employees be permitted on the basis of their identity cards”.
Although rosters have been made, officials said non-biometric attendance had made it possible for senior officials to “make informal arrangements without compromising on safety and other guidelines”. Things will be streamlined in next couple of days, they said.
In Gurgaon, classified as a Covid-19 “red zone”, there was some chaos at NHAI project sites after workers ge