Odisha Directs District Collectors To Review Services Of Revenue Field Staff

Bhubaneswar: Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh has written to all District Collectors directing them to review the services of staff and take appropriate action for premature retirement of non-performing/poor- performing field staff.

The letter read, “The duties and responsibilities of the Revenue Inspectors (RI), Assistant Revenue Inspectors (ARI) and Amins weigh considerable significance in fulfilling the aims and objectives of the state government so far as revenue administration is concerned. These employees are instrumental in extending services to the public in general and tenants in particular at the cutting edge of the revenue administration.”He, however, expressed serious concern that, the revenue field staff i.e. Rls, ARIs, and Amins is sometimes not performing their duty properly for which a several grievance petitions are being received at the government level regarding this matter.

“A large number of allegations are being received from the public that these field staff are continuing in one place for several years, keeping their reports pending in mutation, conversion cases and not discharging their duties properly and efficiently. They are also being posted in their own tahsil, which is not proper for an impartial administration,” the letter said.

Therefore, Singh has directed the District Collectors to review the status at their level and report to this department regarding the action taken at the latter’s level in the last four years.

“The Revenue & DM Department in its letter No. 22801 dated 14.07.2017 directed that to maintain accountable, transparent and proper administration, all the employees working in a particular office/ seat for more than three years need to be transferred. You are, therefore, directed to furnish a report of the staff who have not yet been transferred and continuing in a particular office for more than three years.”

Besides, the District Collectors have been directed to take steps to instruct the tahsildars to review and submit the quantitative achievement figures of all Revenue field staff and take appropriate corrective and punitive measures to improve the situation and ensure an accountable, transparent, responsible and responsive revenue administration in the state.