Separate Revenue service cadre yet to materialize

Another Tarun Gogoi promise remains a dud as DCs and revenue officials remain overburdened

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Nov 26: Four years back, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had announced a separate Revenue Service cadre for the State, with an aim to ease the burden on the deputy commissioners and circle officers.

The proposal is still a non-starter.

The apathetic approach of the State government has left the deputy commissioners and circle officers overburdened, severely affecting service-delivery at their offices. Official sources say a circle officer heads 24 committees in his area - related to various departments, including Social Welfare, Election, Forest, Panchayat & Rural Development, besides his core duties relating to the Revenue department. Similarly, the deputy commissioner in a district is the head of 54 committees. As the result of the burden, the officers' energies are stretched too thin.

The worse is the case of circle officers in rural areas as they have to move around attending various meetings.

At the districts, though departments have been allotted and shared with the ADCs, the fil authority is the DC.

"The burden of work has apparently not allowed the officers to do justice to one particular department," said an officer. At the receiving end is the common man who has to visit government offices several times to get even a small work done.