Left with no option but to water down their pen-down strike call as the government invoked the East Punjab Essential Services (Maintenance) Act (ESMA), patwaris across Punjab began an agitation on Friday, saying that they are boycotting “additional” work.
Punjab has 4,716 revenue circles in all and only 1,523 patwaris, who have been assigned the additional charge of 3,193 revenue circles as a stop-gap arrangement.
A union leader said the officials have stopped work allotted to them in 3,193 “additional” revenue circles but were carrying out the duties, including those related to flood relief, in their own circles.
Over 2,000 employees, under the banner of the Revenue Patwar Union and the Revenue Kanungo Association, had initially called for an indefinite pen-down strike, over a corruption case registered against a ‘patwari’ and a ‘kanungo’ (both revenue officials) in Sangrur a week ago. But on Thursday, they softened their stance in wake of the Punjab government, led by chief minister Bhagwant Mann, invoking the ESMA, which barred all government officials and employees from leaving their place of posting till October 31 or till further orders. The government had also threatened them of strict penal action for violation of the orders.
The union leaders have threatened to move the Punjab and Haryana high court against the state government’s decision to invoke the ESMA.
{{/usCountry}}The union leaders have threatened to move the Punjab and Haryana high court against the state government’s decision to invoke the ESMA.
{{/usCountry}}Public on the receiving end
In Bathinda and the adjoining districts of south Malwa, residents were seen waiting outside ‘patwarkhanas’ as patwaris abstained from work at additional revenue circles.
Puran Singh, a resident of Akliya village, said he had travelled to Bathinda to verify a land record but found the office locked. “An extended family member is caught in a land dispute. I had sought an appointment for Friday to examine the land records but the office of the revenue circle was shut. I feel harassed,” said the elderly farmer.
According to the officials, Bathinda has 172 revenue circles and only 99 patwaris, out of which 84 are regular staffers.
General secretary of Bathinda patwari union Tehnoor Singh said the largest district of southwest Punjab has 73 vacant posts of patwaris. “Each of us is manning at least two circles and it is injudicious on the part of the state government to burden us with extra work. We have decided to work only for the main allocated circle,” he said.
Another patwari posted in a rural subdivision said the common man will suffer as the protest continues and public dealing in scores of offices will remain suspended. “From birth certificates to work on all land-related records, the revenue department handles a lot. People will suffer but we are helpless as the union has given a call to abstain from additional duties indefinitely and we have to abide by it,” he added requesting anonymity.
In Jalandhar, work hit in 530 revenue circles
In the Doaba region, work was hit at 530 revenue circles as the charge of these was assigned to patwaris who already have the charge of other circles. Ram Parkash, a general secretary of Jalandhar revenue association, said it won’t be possible for one official to look after the revenue work of 15-20 circles all along.
“We have been burdened for years with additional charges of multiple revenue circles. It is in complete violation of service rules and human rights,” he said.
In Ferozepur, all revenue officials belonging to 146 circles of the district joined the agitation. In Ludhiana, as many as 291 of the district’s 441 revenue circles remained shut, leaving visitors in the lurch.
In Amritsar too, the patwaris refrained from shunning work entirely but boycotted work in the extra circles assigned to them. In Sangrur, work at 117 out of 218 circles remained completely stalled. Navdeep Singh, secretary of Sangrur unit of patwaris said, “The chief minister had promised to give ₹19,900 to patwaris during their training period and also promised that the training period will be limited to a month. However, the patwaris under training are getting only ₹5,000 a month and their training period extends up to a year and a half.”
Meanwhile, officials said the deputy commissioners have been asked to ensure that the public does not suffer during the agitation.
Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi, general secretary of Punjab’s Revenue Patwar Union, said the appointment of new patwaris was also one of the demands of the union.