Govt’s ‘sasural’ gift to woman patwaris

BHOPAL: Shailesh, 28, and Prakash met on facebook. They fell in love and got married. Almost immediately after her marriage, Shailsh was selected as a patwari. For three years she worked some 500km away from her husband and in-laws in Rewa. She requested state government to transfer her to let her live with her husband and in-laws in Bhopal. She was obliged.
And she was not alone. As desired by 150 more women patwaris who sighted the same reason, they have been transferred to their sasural (native place of husbands and in-laws) at different places across the state. Revenue minister Rampal Singh said when IAS and IPS officers get facility to have husband and wife work together in same district, then why not a mahila patwari?
Though it was a love marriage for Shailesh, she could hardly spend time with her husband who lives with his parents at Kolar area in the state capital. Working with a private firm, her husband Prakash said, “she was fed up and was making up her mind to quit her job as it became difficult for her to live in Rewa alone.”
In fact, gradually many of these women wanted to quit their job for the same reason. Priyanka Agrawal, 31, who got transferred from Chhatarpur to Bhopal said, she had already started looking for a job. “I have a small kid and patwari’s job is even otherwise difficult. We have to go out on the field and spend a lot of time there. Now life will be much more easy.”
Shahima Khan, wife of an assistant professor at RGPV university said, “it became difficult for my husband to live alone and eat.” She was transferred from Shivpuri to Bhopal.
Another woman patwari Bharti faced the same problem when she worked in Depalpur in Indore away from her husband who lives in Bhopal. Revenue minister Rampal Singh said the government had given option to women patwari that they can get transfer to their in-laws place. Now, we expect them to work better with more efficiency, he said.