Education Department staff oppose duties assigned to check stubble burning in Patiala

Clerical staff of the Education Department today opposed duties assigned to them for checking stubble burning.

The employees, who protested outside the District Education Office in Patiala, claimed that their pleas have gone unheard, forcing them to suspend official work and hold a demonstration.

Led by Pawan Sharma, who is the general secretary of the employees’ union, the protesters raised slogans against what they termed the “unjustified” deployment of clerks on such duties.

They accused the SDM office of deliberately assigning such tasks to the District Education Office staff, which they said was beyond their administrative purview.

District Education Officer (DEO) Sanjeev Sharma met the agitating employees and assured that a permanent solution to their concerns would be worked out soon.

Speaking to the media, Pawan Sharma said the additional assignments were not only severely affecting office work but also causing mental stress among the employees.

“Many clerks are already performing the responsibilities of Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Adding stubble burning duties overburdens them,” he said.

He further added that despite two meetings with the Patiala Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), no permanent solution is in sight so far. Out of the 28 clerical staff members posted in the district office, 17 have reportedly been assigned additional duties, hampering routine administrative work.

The employees warned that if the orders were not revoked immediately, they would intensify their agitation and stage protests across Punjab.