After 3 decades, Revenue Dept gets 740 patwaris

Patiala, November 22

After more than 30 years, over 700 patwaris today joined service in various patwar circles to streamline the working of the Revenue Department, which is facing acute shortage of the staff. The government posted 740 of them in the field, while another 350 will join soon after the mandatory 18-month training.

Last recruited around 1989, Punjab has been facing an acute shortage of patwaris, which resulted in delay of ‘inteqal’, girdawari of land and land mutation works.

3,000 posts lying vacant

• The previous Congress government had reduced the number of posts of patwari from 4,716 to 3,660
• At present, 1,700 officials are working. With 3,000-odd posts lying vacant, the patwaris are overworked

Sources say that the acute shortage of staff has been adversely affecting work in the state. In recent times, ‘overburdened’ patwaris have disengaged themselves from the charge being given to them for additional circles or during strike calls.

Revenue Minister Brahm Shankar Jimpa told The Tribune that as many as 1,090 newly-recruited patwaris were undergoing training at the moment and the government has put almost 740 of them in the field. “We have deputed them across the state. We have asked the respective Deputy Commissioners to brief them about the expectations from them in the field,” Jhimpa said.

The last Congress government in the state had reduced the number of posts of patwaris from 4,716 to 3,660. Against the 4,716 originally sanctioned posts of patwari, these revenue officials are working on only 1,700. As 3,000-odd posts were lying vacant and patwaris were overworked, the AAP government had recently rehired 400 retired ones to tide over the crisis.

Interestingly, when there were 12 districts, the posts of patwari were 4,716. Now, when the number of districts is 23, the posts have been reduced to 3,660.