HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) offices have been under a lot of stress after several employees contracting the corona infection. Because of the high prevalence of l virus among employees, GHMC officials are seriously considering allowing employees to work from home.

A senior GHMC official told a leading news agency that, "We have been keeping a close watch on every official."

Meanwhile, the corporation has advised people to call 040 – 21 11 11 11 9154686549 or 9154686558 in any case of emergency or Coronavirus-related queries.

Since the second wave of the pandemic begun, 40 officials from the civic body's Tank Bund headquarters have tested positive for coronavirus infection. Though the general public has been barred from interacting with officials for the past few days, two officials from the engineering wing, one from revenue, two from town planning, one from recreation, three from IT, two from the administrative wing, and an engineer on the ground floor, and officials of the electrical wing have somehow contracted the virus.

On Tuesday alone, five have people tested positive, followed by three on Monday, two on Sunday, and two on Saturday. Covid-19 has had a similar effect on many officials at the zonal offices.

Due to the high prevalence of the spread of coronavirus infection among employees, GHMC officials are seriously considering allowing employees to work from home. Another choice is to have half of the workers work from home and the rest from the workplace. Officials with digital keys and high-speed internet access at home will be able to operate from their homes.

There are also officials with co-morbid conditions at the level of additional commissioners and chief engineers. They, too, could work from home by conducting virtual meetings with GHMC field staff, who, unfortunately, have no choice but to report to duty all over the city, particularly during emergencies.

A senior GHMC official told a leading news agency that, "We have been keeping a close watch on every official. If s/he comes to the office late, we have been asking them to produce the Covid-19 test document, even though they have taken the vaccine. We trust none because it will be risky for other staff members working from the offices." He further said, apart from young IAS officers, senior personnel are being advised to work from home to minimize Covid-19 risk.

In the meantime, the company has asked people to contact 040 – 21 11 11 11, 9154686549, or 9154686558 in the event of an emergency or if they have any questions about Coronavirus.

A dharna was staged by over 40 sanitation workers from the Charminar region in protest against insufficient safety measures for them. They want manual attendance because they're worried that biometric systems can spread Coronavirus to field workers.