The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has reversed its earlier decision and drastically reduced the fines imposed on eight employees of Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital for practicing yoga during their duty hours. The civic body has also decided to remove the word “punishment” from the service records of the staff.
According to municipal commissioner Shekhar Singh, the fine amounts have been significantly reduced, and an official order to this effect was issued on Friday. The service record books of the employees will no longer mention the punishment imposed. A separate order will be issued on Monday to formalize these changes.
In April, the PCMC had imposed fines ranging from Rs 22,000 to Rs 56,000 on the eight hospital employees, including a homoeopathic doctor who was on the verge of retirement. However, with the recent decision to reduce the fines, the employee who was initially fined Rs 56,000 will now have to pay only Rs 8,000. Similarly, those fined up to Rs 22,000 will now have to pay Rs 4,000. The fine amounts, which were deducted from their salaries, will be reimbursed.
Initially, a committee appointed by the administration had found the employees guilty of practicing yoga during work hours in October of the previous year. The municipal commissioner had ordered that the punishment be recorded in their service records. However, doctors, employees, and various organizations protested against the decision and appealed to the commissioner to reconsider.
The employees argued that they were not practicing yoga during work hours but rather utilizing their lunch break for the activity. Their cause garnered support from Pimpri-Chinchwad Karmachari Mahasangh, doctors, social organizations, voluntary groups, and activists. They urged the municipal commissioner to reverse the decision and instead issue a warning to the employees. The activists even approached Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to exert pressure on the civic administration to withdraw the order.
The decision to significantly reduce the fines and remove the word “punishment” from the service records has been welcomed by the employees. They expressed their satisfaction with the PCMC commissioner’s revised order, which was issued on Friday.
