Virudhunagar
Regular work in taluk offices and other revenue offices in this district suffered as 50% members of Tamil Nadu Revenue Officers Association went on a mass casual leave on Wednesday.
Out of 400-odd posts, over 200 workers in various cadres like office assistant, typist, junior assistant, revenue inspector, deputy tahsildar and tahsildar abstained from work. The association has been demanding steps to fill up vacancies.
“We have a huge number of vacancies in the posts of office assistant, record clerks, watchman,” said TNROA district secretary, C. Kannan.
Revenue Department offices being custodians for various important files and goods meant for distribution among people under various welfare schemes. Except for two offices, none of the offices have watchman to protect these documents and valuables. With no record clerks and office assistants, the movement of files suffers delay. “We are not asking for any new posts but only filling up of the sanctioned posts,” he said.
While Department of Revenue has been rechristened as Department of Revenue and Disaster Management, the nature of job has changed a lot.
“Besides working on Sundays and holidays whenever there is a government function, revenue staff have to work round the clock during natural calamities in rescue, relief and rehabilitation works. Even during the pandemic, our men had to man the check-posts,” he said.
With the change in nature of job, employees of revenue department should be given a differential pay when compared to other departments. The association demanded that the unnecessary delay in regularisation of jobs given to people appointed under compassionate grounds should be done away with.
“The appointment order is given by Collectors and the proposal to regularise their jobs is made by them. But, it takes five to 15 years for the government to regularise their jobs. This costs them in their promotion,” Mr. Kannan said.
Stating that the basic training for revenue officials gets delayed for years together, the association sought that training institutes should be constituted at district levels to provide training before the selected candidates begin their career.
