The queues of staff for attendance at the Lower Parel railway workshop in central Mumbai have been spilling onto the street outside for nearly half a km. Railway employees say the queues are because of the biometric element in the punch machine that mandates every employee be physically verified. This started since the recent relaxations in restrictions in May. Local residents and passers-by are surprised that the queues have become a regular affair.

Employees worried

A railway employee said that while they welcomed the new process for attendance that ensures transparency and authentication, the workshop bosses need to work on regularising shifts so that all the staff don’t arrive at the same time, leading to such crowds.