Gurugram: Members of the Haryana Revenue Patwar and Kanungo Association have extended their symbolic strike till January 12 to press for the fulfilment of their longstanding demands, including revision of pay scales, recruitment on vacant posts of Naib Tehsildar and other issues.
However, due to the strike by Patwaris and Kanungos, those who turned up at the revenue department in Gurugram over land-related issues had to face a lot of difficulties.
The members of the association had on January 3 announced suspension of work for three days and after the state government failed to meet their demands, the strike was extended till January 12.
Satpal Patwari, president of the Gurugram body said, that in the meeting held on January 4, 2023, with the Haryana State Association of Revenue Patwaris, it was assured by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar that the salary hike of Revenue Patwaris and circle closure of Patwari and Kanungo circles pending since the year 2016 will be done by January 26, 2023.
“After the assurance of the CM, the government issued a notification on January 24, 2023, increasing the pay scale of Revenue Patwaris to Rs. 32,100 and in that notification, it is also mentioned that this table will be applicable from January 1, 2016, but the Finance Department of the state by issuing a letter with a back date (which is shown as 25 January), orders were given to implement the increased pay scale from 25 January 2023, whereas according to the conversation with the state government, this pay scale should have been increased from 1 January 2016,” he said.
Apart from this, the circle closure of Patwari and Kanungo circles pending since 2016 was also promised by the Chief Minister to be done by 26 January 2023, but even after a year, the work of circle closure has not been done by the government, he asserted.
Patwari is involved in various works including land ‘Fard’, domicile and caste certificates, ‘Girdawri certificate’, mutation of land, demarcations of the lands, and other revenue works.
The members said, that to get a promotion as Naib Tehsildar, Kanungo has to pass the departmental examination of Naib Tehsildar. According to the notification of the Haryana Government dated 13th July 2007, generally, there is a provision to conduct this examination twice every year. But despite this, departmental examination has not been conducted even once in the last two and a half years due to this, employees were retired without promotion.
“More than 30 Naib Tehsildar posts are lying vacant in the Revenue Department. Apart from this, out of about 3,500 posts of Patwari in the Revenue department, only 1,400 Patwaris are working, hence permanent recruitment should be done on the posts of Revenue Patwari. Patwaris are overburdened due to a shortage of staff,” Ashok Kumar, Vice President of Patwar and Kanungo Association Gurugram said.
