Work hit as revenue staff continue protest

Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 5

The Revenue Department employees will continue their protest on Monday and Tuesday and go on mass leave over alleged ‘high-handedness of vigilance bureau officials’. Visitors to the offices have been harassed over works that are left pending due to the protest.

The officers of the Revenue Department under the Punjab Revenue Officers’ Association have been holding protests against the arrests of a naib tehsildar and a registry clerk by the Vigilance Bureau in Hoshiarpur. “They are honest officers but have been implicated. We have submitted complaints to the Chief Secretary office and Chief Minister’s office,” the association leaders said.

The protest began on November 23. In a press note on Sunday, president of the association, Gurdev Singh Dham, said, “We are proceeding on mass leave on December 6 and 7. We will hold protest rallies at divisional commissioner offices in Ropar, Jalandhar and Faridkot on Monday and will visit the Punjab Revenue Minister over indifferent approach toward the staff on Tuesday.”

People visiting the offices of the Revenue Department here have had to return dejected. Mutations and other office related works are being delayed.

A visitor to the tehsildar office in Patiala on Sunday said, “We have been visiting the office for mutation related work but it has been affected due to the protest. The protest has been going on for many days.”

Harpreet, a city property dealer, said, “We were supposed to go to the sub-registrar office for registration documents of a property on November 24. It was postponed due to the protest. But now, the whole office functioning has stopped, leading to further delays.”

Association leaders said a decision could be reached after a meeting with officials of the state government on Monday.