A question of timing

Finance Minister P Chidambaram can be sure his staff are happy about one thing: office timings. Unlike his predecessor who would come to North Block around 11 a m, the new minister starts his day before 9 a m. That doesn’t make a difference to the staff because that is their official reporting time in any case. What makes the difference is that Chidambaram leaves at 7 p m, unlike his predecessor who would usually stay in office till 11 p m, which meant staff and officials had to do the same. Naturally, people are not complaining, though Chidambaram is considered a tough taskmaster.