E-Paper
Punjab to set up special revenue courts of financial commissioners at district-level
The move will facilitate people living in far-flung districts who have to visit Chandigarh to file their appeals
The Punjab government has decided to set up special revenue courts of financial commissioners (FCs) at the district-level to facilitate people living in far-flung areas of the state.
Revenue minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar said on Wednesday that as per the proposal, financial commissioners will hold weekly public hearings in the region where people from the designated districts can come and file appeals in revenue matters.
“One such revenue court to be held by financial commissioner (appeal) will be housed in Bathinda, which will cater to the districts of Bathinda, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Muktsar and Mansa. Similar facility will be opened in Jalandhar, and other locations are being finalised,” said the minister.
“It will reduce the financial burden on the applicants as they need not visit the state capital for filing appeals or appearing before the revenue courts,” he said.
Presently, 11 senior bureaucrats, with the rank of principal secretary and above, have been deputed financial commissioners (appeal) in the revenue department. All these FCs have offices in the civil secretariat, Chandigarh.
Complaints pertaining to land mutations with most disputes of inheritance of land and the Indian Stamps Act (with disputes on finalising stamp duty during land registrations) are among the other segments of revenue department jurisdiction that goes for appeal at the financial commissioner-level.
“An applicant from Abohar in Fazilka, Ferozepur or Mansa needs at least six-eight hours to reach Chandigarh for his work in the revenue court. Then securing a pass to gain entry to the civil secretariat also takes time. The move of setting up special revenue courts at the district-level will reduce their hardships,” said the minister.
