Administrative work across Haryana came to a standstill on Friday as the state’s revenue officials, including patwaris and kanungos, observed a one-day strike to protest the suspension of six of their colleagues. The strike, called by The Revenue Patwari and Kanungo Association, saw officials staging dharnas at district headquarters, leaving residents unable to process land records, income certificates, and other essential documents.
The unrest stems from the state government’s recent decision to suspend six patwaris for alleged irregularities in crop damage verification on the e-Kshatipurti portal. Officials were accused of uploading identical photographs for different khasra numbers during the assessment of flood-damaged crops. However, the association has strongly defended the suspended officials, terming the government’s action as unjust and disconnected from ground realities. Kashmir Singh, president of the Karnal unit of the association, explained that physically visiting every single field during large-scale assessments was logistically impossible, forcing staff to use representative images for adjacent plots.
Leading the protest in Karnal, Singh stated that the association had previously submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on December 8 through the Deputy Commissioners, explaining the practical constraints they faced. “Despite our efforts to clarify that this was not corruption but a procedural necessity due to immense workload, the government did not revoke the suspensions nor give us a fair hearing,” Singh remarked. He added that the suspensions have demoralized the entire cadre, who worked tirelessly during the flood crisis.
The association has issued a stern ultimatum to the state government. If the suspended officials are not reinstated immediately, the union has threatened to launch an indefinite statewide strike starting February 2. Union leaders emphasized that the responsibility for any inconvenience caused to the public during this period would lie entirely with the government. They have urged the Chief Minister to intervene personally to resolve the deadlock before the agitation escalates further.
