The fear of having to work through the holidays, including the five-day Dasara holidays, has raised the anxiety levels among the employees of the Revenue Department.
Social messaging platforms wherein Revenue staff and officials communicate in groups are full of expressions of concern by employees saying that they would have to work on the government’s exercise for purification of land records. The State has taken the initiative after a lapse of several decades.
The first of the message pointing out the pressure of working on holidays was uploaded from Khammam district in the Telangana Revenue Employees Services Association (TRESA) group on September 17, a Sunday on which the employees worked. The message pointed out that the employees may be forced to work for the five-day period which included an optional holiday on September 28, holiday for Durgashtami on 29 and Vijayadashami on 30 besides Muharram falling on October 1 which is a Sunday and Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.
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Some other messages pointed out that the district units of the Association having urged respective district collectors to exempt work on holidays. “Nizamabad Collector has agreed to exempt Revenue employees from work on holidays but Mancherial Collector has rejected the proposal,” another message on the issue read.
“Holiday is the right of every employee and it needs to be protected,” an input from Nizamabad read. “Please ask the government to issue orders so that we are not forced to work on holidays,” was how an employee from Warangal urged.
Many employees pleaded with the State leaders of the Association to take up the matter with the Chief Secretary. The State leaders were of the opinion that the district units first raise the issue with their respective collectors and if the effort fails, it would be taken up with the Chief Secretary.
The employees are also not happy with the government making them slog for distribution of the Bathukamma saress to the beneficiaries while assigning them the work on purification of land records. “In Mancherial, the Collector has entrusted the task of saree distribution to Mandal Parishad staff while Nalgonda Collector has exempted women from work at night,” pointed out a message.
The purification of land records is a 100-day exercise if done without a break. “There is no specific circular from government for us to work on holidays and next week employees will have to face high pressure,” feared an employee from Adilabad district.