News band: Belapur: Thursday, 5Th March 2026.
A controversy has surfaced
within the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) after it
allegedly refused to disclose biometric attendance records of its employees
under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The issue was highlighted by Sajag
Nagarik Manch, which accused the administration of evading transparency and undermining
accountability.
The forum alleged that senior officials at CIDCO Bhavan routinely report late despite official working hours beginning at 9:30 AM.
“While official hours begin at 9:30 AM, senior officers comfortably came in between 10:30 AM and 11:00 AM. CIDCO is suppressing biometric data specifically to cover up this tardiness. Furthermore, throwing government norms to the wind, a full one-hour lunch break (1 PM to 2 PM) is observed at the headquarters, which is far beyond the officially permitted duration,” said Vinay More, member, Sajag Nagarik Manch.
Through its RTI application, the forum sought certified copies of CIDCO’s prescribed office hours, biometric attendance records from September 22 to 26, 2025, and details of disciplinary action taken against staff violating office timings between October 1 and 28, 2025, under the fiveday workweek policy. It also requested information on whether salaries were linked to biometric attendance as per State Government directives and the challenges in implementing such linkage.
Initially, CIDCO asked the applicant to pay fees for 199 pages of documents. However, after the applicant agreed, the administration allegedly delayed sending the payment challan, citing technical issues. In response to a fresh application, CIDCO denied the request, claiming biometric attendance constituted “personal information” under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act.
“The attendance during official hours is part of public duty and subject to scrutiny. This is a misuse of the Supreme Court’s Girish Ramchandra Deshpande judgment, which relates to confidential service records, not daily attendance logs,” added More.
Raising concerns over a prevailing “come-and-go” culture, the forum also accused officials of intimidating citizens who attempted to document late attendance. It has now demanded intervention from CIDCO’s Managing Director, warning that failure to disclose the information will prompt complaints to the Urban Development Department and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
When contacted CIDCO official refused to comment on the administrative issues.
The forum alleged that senior officials at CIDCO Bhavan routinely report late despite official working hours beginning at 9:30 AM.
“While official hours begin at 9:30 AM, senior officers comfortably came in between 10:30 AM and 11:00 AM. CIDCO is suppressing biometric data specifically to cover up this tardiness. Furthermore, throwing government norms to the wind, a full one-hour lunch break (1 PM to 2 PM) is observed at the headquarters, which is far beyond the officially permitted duration,” said Vinay More, member, Sajag Nagarik Manch.
Through its RTI application, the forum sought certified copies of CIDCO’s prescribed office hours, biometric attendance records from September 22 to 26, 2025, and details of disciplinary action taken against staff violating office timings between October 1 and 28, 2025, under the fiveday workweek policy. It also requested information on whether salaries were linked to biometric attendance as per State Government directives and the challenges in implementing such linkage.
Initially, CIDCO asked the applicant to pay fees for 199 pages of documents. However, after the applicant agreed, the administration allegedly delayed sending the payment challan, citing technical issues. In response to a fresh application, CIDCO denied the request, claiming biometric attendance constituted “personal information” under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act.
“The attendance during official hours is part of public duty and subject to scrutiny. This is a misuse of the Supreme Court’s Girish Ramchandra Deshpande judgment, which relates to confidential service records, not daily attendance logs,” added More.
Raising concerns over a prevailing “come-and-go” culture, the forum also accused officials of intimidating citizens who attempted to document late attendance. It has now demanded intervention from CIDCO’s Managing Director, warning that failure to disclose the information will prompt complaints to the Urban Development Department and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
When contacted CIDCO official refused to comment on the administrative issues.
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