BENGALURU: Sub-registrars and senior sub-registrars, who have been staging an agitation at the office of the Inspector General of Registration and Commissioner of Stamps (IGR & CS) here since Thursday 4 pm, called off their protest around Friday 8 pm following an assurance by the commissioner.
The commissioner’s office witnessed high drama when sub-registrars, many women, sat on chairs in front of IGR & CS K V Dayananda’s chamber. Dayananda was not allowed to come out of his chamber. By 7.30 pm, he addressed the protesters and promised them to convey the decision taken by the government. However, they refused to budge and stated that they would continue their protest.
After some time, Dayananda called the association president and promised him that the sub-registrars would soon be given login access and allowed to work in previous posts. This message was conveyed to them by the association president, who placed his mobile on speaker mode, when Dayananda made the announcement.
In all, 90 sub-registrars and senior sub-registrars obtained a stay order on February 18 against their transfer by the revenue department on December 10, 2024.
With the department not complying with the stay order, around 40 of them, who are members of the Karnataka State Stamps and Registration Department Employees’ Association, launched the protest on Thursday.
Assn plans to hold another protest
An official said, “We have only transferred those who have put in five years out of their last eight years of service in the same place. It was done after counselling (where sub-registrars are allowed to choose places of posting among the options given). It was done in the public interest, but we are now in a spot.”
Association president Shankare Gowda said, “The HC issued the stay order on February 18, but it was not followed. We had planned to protest till February 25. However, we called it off temporarily on Friday evening after the commissioner promised that the sub-registrars will be given login access and allowed to work in their previous posts. We are planning to hold another protest in support of our demands from Thursday.”
On the reason for refusing to accept the transfer order, a sub-registrar said, “My daughter’s II PU exam will commence shortly. How can we be transferred suddenly in December? We were given only 10 days to relocate.”
A senior sub-registrar said, “My new posting was in a place where the job was handled by a sub-registrar. After years of seniority, why should I accept it?”
Another sub-registrar said the revenue department has no business to issue transfer orders.
“Transfers have to be done by DPAR. What we told the court is the creation of a new system all of a sudden by the department, wherein those who have worked in 60 offices in the BMRDA region (Bengaluru Urban, Rural and Ramanagara) and 10 districts having city corporations cannot opt for inter-transfers anymore. We were given options to go to Raichur, Koppal and other rural areas. How is this acceptable?”
Public not affected
It was business as usual on Friday despite the protest.. “We generate a daily revenue of Rs 75 crore across the state with roughly 8,500 articles registered in 256 sub-registrars’ offices. This average crossed on Friday. First division and second division assistants were given charge of the offices of sub-registrars. So, people were not affected,” the commissioner said.