03-17-2007, 08:00 PM
<!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Sworn to honesty, Patwaris go on strike
Anand Prakash | Gurgaon
In an unusual step, Patwaris of the district have gone on a five-day strike after the Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon made them take a pledge at a public place to be honest. After receiving numerous complaints, the DC had taken this unprecedented step on Thursday.
The issue cropped up early on Wednesday when DC Rakesh Gupta was attending a public meeting at Farrukhnagar, 15 km from Gurgaon. The DC was redressing people's grievances and had called all the district officers and Patwaris. One common complaint of the people was that Patwaris were charging much more than the stipulated fees and the people were harassed by this.
"I was shocked to learn that the Patwaris were charging arbitrarily and fleecing people," said Gupta. On learning that as against a nominal fee of Rs 10 to Rs 50, the Patwaris were charging people Rs 1,000 and more, Gupta immediately decided to tighten the screws. "I asked them to take an oath and reform themselves," added Gupta, who took over this assignment recently. Gupta also informed that the Patwaris had agreed that they had been overcharging.
After the pledge, however, the Patwaris felt offended and took their 'case' to their State association. Meanwhile, the Gurgaon Patwaris decided to go on strike from March 16 to March 21. What is more bizarre, the Patwaris also demanded that the DC and other district officials too should pledge not to 'overcharge' people. Of course, they did not elaborate for what.
"We felt humiliated when we were asked to take the pledge by raising both our hands. He insulted us in public, which we are not going to tolerate," said Tejbeer Singh, chairman of district Patwari and Kanoongo association. Singh demanded that higher officials of Revenue Department such as Tehsildar and Naib Tehsildar should also take oath of not charging money.
Meanwhile, sources claimed that the issue was being taken "seriously" by the Haryana State association. The strike call could impact the real estate business in Gurgaon.
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Sworn to honesty, Patwaris go on strike Anand Prakash | Gurgaon
In an unusual step, Patwaris of the district have gone on a five-day strike after the Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon made them take a pledge at a public place to be honest. After receiving numerous complaints, the DC had taken this unprecedented step on Thursday.
The issue cropped up early on Wednesday when DC Rakesh Gupta was attending a public meeting at Farrukhnagar, 15 km from Gurgaon. The DC was redressing people's grievances and had called all the district officers and Patwaris. One common complaint of the people was that Patwaris were charging much more than the stipulated fees and the people were harassed by this.
"I was shocked to learn that the Patwaris were charging arbitrarily and fleecing people," said Gupta. On learning that as against a nominal fee of Rs 10 to Rs 50, the Patwaris were charging people Rs 1,000 and more, Gupta immediately decided to tighten the screws. "I asked them to take an oath and reform themselves," added Gupta, who took over this assignment recently. Gupta also informed that the Patwaris had agreed that they had been overcharging.
After the pledge, however, the Patwaris felt offended and took their 'case' to their State association. Meanwhile, the Gurgaon Patwaris decided to go on strike from March 16 to March 21. What is more bizarre, the Patwaris also demanded that the DC and other district officials too should pledge not to 'overcharge' people. Of course, they did not elaborate for what.
"We felt humiliated when we were asked to take the pledge by raising both our hands. He insulted us in public, which we are not going to tolerate," said Tejbeer Singh, chairman of district Patwari and Kanoongo association. Singh demanded that higher officials of Revenue Department such as Tehsildar and Naib Tehsildar should also take oath of not charging money.
Meanwhile, sources claimed that the issue was being taken "seriously" by the Haryana State association. The strike call could impact the real estate business in Gurgaon.