CHANDIGARH: The Punjab bureaucracy appears to be on a collision course with the AAP-led Punjab government. A day after the state government suspended two IAS officers over the leak of the contents of a government file over panchayat polls, the Revenue Patwari Union comprising patwaris and kanungos (land record officials) on Friday went on an indefinite strike. They alleged the government was forcing them to work in multiple revenue circles.
The government’s move to suspend two senior IAS officers has not gone well with the top bureaucracy of the state. The file on the basis of which the elections to panchayats in the state were announced has been leaked. The “file” bears the signatures of the CM and the Rural Development minister. Many senior officers have said the two officers were acting only on the instructions of their political bosses.
Besides, a few Punjab Civil Service (PCS) officers wrote to the chief secretary on Thursday contending that downgrading them from Class A to Class B was a retrogressive step.
Sources said the “leaked” copy of the file on panchayat polls is being circulated on social media. The other arm of the administration, the PCS Officers’ Association, in its letter to the chief secretary, pointed out that despite verbal assurances from the CM, the government’s actions have fallen short of expectations.
On the other hand, the Revenue Patwari Union, besides alleging that the government was forcing them to work in multiple revenue circles, said that training time for such officials should be reduced to a year from 18 months.