Circle officers stir: Revenue officers to take additional charge

Patna: To tackle the administrative crisis created by striking circle officers (COs) for the past 19 days, the state revenue and land reforms department (RLRD) on Friday decided to deploy non-striking officers from the revenue services by giving them additional charge of other circle offices to make the offices in all the 534 blocks fully functional from April 1, RLRD minister and deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said.“To obstruct the revenue-related services in the name of strike is totally unacceptable and cannot be allowed. Every circle office would be fully functional from April 1. Those who are not on strike will be immediately given additional charges of the work performed by those who are on strike,” Sinha said.In connection with the same, RLRD principal secretary C K Anil issued a letter on Friday noting that none of the circle offices would be left non-functional. “The officials who have shunned the strike and are on duty will be given additional charges of the circle offices where the posts are lying vacant due to the strike,” Anil said, adding that all district magistrates have been directed to ensure that no circle office remains without a functioning CO.He added that officers who would be given additional charge of other circle offices include the COs who are on duty, as well as assistant settlement officers and quanungos. The RLRD, in its letter, clarified that the arrangement made to deploy block development officers (BDOs) to function as COs was not sufficient, since a BDO is already saddled with a large volume of work in the block office.“Accordingly, the revenue officers on duty have been asked to function as COs, since the works related to mutation of land ownership rights, rectification of errors, measurement of land, removal of encroachment and issuance of certificates are not obstructed,” Anil said, adding that those holding additional charge will be given full financial rights so that the release of salaries, implementation of schemes and other works are not affected.Anil also said that if the striking officers return to duty, they would be given additional charge of the Sadar and sub-divisional circle offices.