AAMKS to go on two-day strike from October 12

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, Oct 10: Work in the revenue department offices throughout the State will be paralyzed on October 12 and October 13 after a call to cease work has been issued by AAMKS (All Assam Mandal Kangu Sanmilani - All Assam Revenue Department Employees Association) demanding the implementation of 14-point charter of demands. This was disclosed by the Association’s president and general secretary at a press meet organized at the Jorhat Press Club on Saturday in Jorhat.

Addressing media persons, general secretary Amulya Kalita said, “The All Assam Mandal Kangu Sanmilani was formed in the year 1926 and at present has a total strength of 3,240 members with a central office in Guwahati. The Sanmilani has long been pressing for a 14-point charter of demands that include primarily the filling up of vacant posts of mandals and creation of additiol new posts of mandals. The present employees are facing severe difficulties while discharging their official duty as the mandals and the Kangus happen to be the first employees who are employed from time-to-time to do various other government jobs apart from their actual works that have indirectly affected services to the public.”

General secretary Amulya Kalita further added, “Over the past 35 years the State Government has created many new districts, subdivisions and revenue circles but never sanctioned additiol staff, thus putting the entire burden on the present lot of the mandals. A committee under the then Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court SK Dutta had recommended the creation of a post of Inspector of Records from the supervisor Kangu for posting in revenue circle under a revised pay scale of rupees Rs 1255-2635 along with one post of Inspector in every revenue circle. But ironically though the government started the process of recruitment of revenue circle officers (90 per cent of the total post) through prelimiry examitions yet no steps were taken to hold departmental examitions for promotion of subordite staff to the particular post.”

Earlier Lambudhar Hazarika, president of the Sanmilani, lambasted the government for failing to meet the demands of the Association and requested the government to set deadline of educatiol qualification of a science graduate other than the followed matriculate standard for the post of recruitment to the post of a mandal. He said that there was need for quality people with sound technical knowledge and education to undertake surveys based on GPRS AND GIS Technology which could seldom be performed by a matriculate mandal who is otherwise forced to learn through trial and error method during field works. The president also laid stress on the post of revenue circle officers being occupied by executive magistrates recruited through Assam Civil Service examition and recommended implementation of the Justice SK Dutta Committee’s findings, besides undertaking departmental training programmes for mandals in respect of Land Revenue Manual along with basic computer training.