KATHMANDU: Minister for Information and Communications Mohan Bahadur Basnet has paid surprise visits to various subordinate bodies under the Ministry of Information and Communications in the Capital on Sunday.

When Minister Basnet reached the offices of Gorkhapatra Corporation and Nepal Telecommunications Authority in the first hour of the office today, many employees including the office chiefs were found absent at their work.

The Minister had reached the office of the Corporation at 10:20 this morning.

The Chairperson and Officiating Director General of the Corporation were not present at the office.

Minister Basnet, thereafter, took the registry along with him so as to take a stock of the employees' attendance.

Similarly, Minister Basnet also made another surprise visit to the office of Nepal Telecom Authority in Kamaladi at 10:45 am today

While the Chairperson of the Authority's branch office had not made his entry into the office by that time, much to the dismay of the visiting Minister, out of 58 employees, only 43 were present.

He instructed the concerned authorities to prevent the late comers from registering their entry into the office by covering the electronic registry machine with a tape.

The Minister also took the details of the registry of the office.

Talking to media persons following the inspection, Minister Basnet said that the surprise visits were conducted for the fact finding over the grievances of the service seekers including the bureaucratic hassles and non-punctuality of the employees in such offices.

The visit was intended for the employees to enhance their performances in future by correcting their shortcomings, according to Minister Basnet.

Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications Mahendraman Gurung stated that Minister Basnet's surprise visits were aimed at ensuring administrative reforms and transparency in the public offices.

Secretary Gurung further argued, "If employees arrive late to work, it means they are delaying the work of the service seekers. Disciplinary action would be taken against those employees not making it to office on time."

He was of the confidence that such surprise visits was the routine job of the Ministry which is conducted to help effect positive changes in the performance of the employees.