But there is a difference this time. The punching of attendance cards by employees at the start and the end of their work day is being video-recorded to check tempering.

Also, separate machines have been installed for women employees and they have been placed away from each other to avoid crowding around and the resultant commotion.

``The past experience has helped us make modifications to ensure that the experiment to ensure punctuality is successful this time,'' says an official.

``It was like a classroom of impatient children earlier which almost led to a stampede, it is far more smooth now and about 3,000 employees are able to punch their cards within minutes,'' he adds.

The effect of these machines is already showing on the attendance at the secretariat, feel many. While employees of other offices around the secretariat trickle out in batches, often before the official timings, the Haryana Government employees move out only after 5 p.m.

Interestingly, the video camera has become a major attraction and the employees keep staring at it.

The administration had to remove the attendance machines last December within three days of installing them after the employees damaged them. A case was also registered with the Chandigarh Police.

A total of 16 machines had been installed then at the main civil secretariat at a cost of Rs 10 lakh, of which 12 have been re-installed. Nine out of these are meant for the general employees, while the remaining have been put up at separate gates for the officers.

On the other hand, the 12 machines at the mini secretariat in Sector 17 are functioning fine ever since their installation last December.

Though a majority of the employees are happy over the installation of these machines -- a brain-child of Chief Minister Bansi Lal -- some of them are sore and want that all state Government employees should be treated equally.

But despite these muffled murmurs, the determined bid of the Haryana Government seems to be working this time, though it isn't certain if the presence of the employees in the secretariat will improve productivity.