20-yr revenue stamp deadlock continues

A long-standing deadlock between the Punjab government’s Revenue Department and postal authorities over the sale of Re 1 revenue stamps continues to cause inconvenience for residents.

The issue dates back to February 2005 when post offices across Punjab stopped selling revenue stamps, citing the demand for a commission increase from 3 percent to 6 percent. However, the Revenue Department refused to accept this demand and appealed to the Centre for intervention, but no resolution has been reached.

In the absence of post offices selling revenue stamps, the state government has been offering them through treasury offices at the sub-divisional level. Additionally, stamp vendors have been authorized to sell the stamps. However, residents in remote and far-flung villages are forced to spend extra time and money to purchase these stamps.

Last year, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann directed the Financial Commissioner of Revenue to resolve the issue, but no progress has been made.

As the stalemate persists, some individuals are taking advantage of the situation by selling the stamps on the black market, further complicating the issue.