GURUGRAM: The
education department has made it compulsory for its
employees to submit annual property returns. For this, employees must submit details of their
movable and immovable
properties. The
department has fixed a June 15 deadline, and has warned that those who don’t comply will not get salary for that month.
The department issued a letter in this regard on June 8. It also issued forms in which all employees have to fill in details of their properties. According to an official from the department, “The motive behind filing returns is that employees will submit details of their property with the department, which will enable us to keep an eye on returns across the years. If there is a sudden change, the employee can be questioned.”
The filing of returns was made compulsory for all education department staff two years ago, but the department issued orders only last week. In one form, employees have been asked to fill details of electronic equipment they own, including refrigerators and radiograms. Also mandatory are details of “motor-cars, motor-cycles, horses or any other means of conveyance”, apart from jewellery, insurance policies, shares and loans. Another form seeks details of
immovable property.
Employees will also have to clarify where they got the property from: through succession, charity, gift or purchase. One is also required to state the annual income from these properties. Registrar (education) Dalbir Singh said, “All employees are required to submit annual property returns. Those who fail to comply won’t be paid the salary for June.”
Teachers have opposed the move, terming it “a part of autocratic rule”. Satyanarayan Yadav, state secretary of Haryana School Teachers Association, said, “Teachers don’t have anything. They are asking for details about horses and radios we own — they should first look into the form they are issuing. When we are already filing income tax returns, why should we file another return? The department is invading into our personal lives.”
Many also questioned the timing of the order, as all government schools have been closed since June 1 for the summer vacation. Prithvi Raj, principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Khalilpur, said: “I haven’t received any such order. Since the vacations are going on, I guess most teachers haven’t received it either.”
“What is the point of issuing an order in June, when there aren’t any teachers in school? I don’t know how this order will implemented,” added Alka Rani, senior specialist at State Council of Educational Research and Training, which also falls under the education department.
