Pen-down strike: Work paralysed as DC offices’ staff join revenue officials stir in Punjab

As a result of the strike, people who arrived at offices for property registration, mutation and other work were disappointed

Sangrur/Bathinda/Jalandhar/Ludhiana/Hoshiarpur

In Bathinda works at mini-secretariats across southwest Punjab were severely hit as staff of deputy commissioner (DC) offices also proceeded on strike. (HT Photo)

Work in government offices was hit across Punjab on Tuesday as employees of DC offices along with the revenue officials went on a pen-down strike, demanding an apology from a ruling AAP MLA for allegedly misbehaving with a tehsil office staff recently.

Under the banner of the Punjab Revenue Officers Association, the protesting officials, including tehsildars, naib tehsildars, patwaris and clerical staff, claimed they would intensify the agitation if Rupnagar legislator Dinesh Chadha did not apologise. Rupnagar MLA Chadha had conducted a surprise inspection at the local tehsil office in his constituency during a visit on July 18.

As a result of the strike, people who arrived at offices for property registration, mutation and other work were disappointed.

In Sangrur, people had to bear the brunt as the employees of the DC office went on a pen-down strike extending support to the protesting revenue officials. Mohinder Singh, a resident of Sangrur, said that he came to the tehsil office for property registration but after reaching there he came to know about the strike.

“I came to the tehsil office to lodge a case to rectify girdawari in the record of our agricultural land. The employees present at the office told us to visit the office on Thursday. However, they did not assure that work will resume on Thursday,” Satnam Singh, a resident of Bahadarpur, said.

Joginder Singh, district president of the DC office employee’s union, said, “They were forced to go on a two-day pen down strike and Ropar MLA is responsible for the suffering of people.”

In Bathinda also, works at mini-secretariats across southwest Punjab were severely hit as staff of deputy commissioner (DC) offices also proceeded on strike.

People were a harried lot as work related to the application or renewal of certificates of income, caste, arms licenses, marriage and birth and death remained suspended.

According to the officials, Sewa Kendra in Bathinda deals with about 500 case files per day but these were not processed due to the strike. Similarly, work on land registrations was also hit in the region.

Senior vice president of the Bathinda ministerial services union Rachpal Kaur said the MLA’s conduct amounted to humiliation and interference in the work of the state employees and forced them to go on a strike. In Fazilka, the protesting employees sat on a dharna at the DC office and raised slogans against the MLA Chadha.

General secretary of the protesting officers’ association Vijay Behal claimed in Ludhiana that the strike was observed across the state. “Not a single registration deed was executed throughout the state due to the strike by revenue officers,” he said in Ludhiana as employees from the DC office also went on strike in support of revenue officials.

In Jalandhar too, the employees observed the pen-down strike. Harish Kumar, a resident, said he had come to prepare the domicile of her daughter, required at the time of counselling for admission to medical college, but the employees asked him to come on July 27. “The district administration must put some alternative in place so that urgently required certificates can be provided on time,” he said.

In Hoshiarpur, 11 members of the revenue officers’ association boycotted work under the leadership of Harkaram Singh Randhawa. Only flood-related work was carried out.

With inputs from Agency