Revenue staff association heading for split

By Our Special Correspondent

VIJAYAWADA, SEPT. 2. The Andhra Pradesh Revenue Services Association is heading for a split with direct recruits deciding to meet in Hyderabad on Tuesday to float a rival organisation for all revenue employees from attender to tahsildar cadre. Even as the revenue services association is gearing up its members for a strike from September 6 to protest against alleged harassment, the direct recruits said they are determined to call the bluff and foil the strike.

Speaking to newspersons here today, Mr. T. Sudhakara Prasad, general secretary of the APNGO Association, who is also secretary of the AP Revenue Services Association, said the Collector of Nalgonda District and the Joint Collector of Mahabubnagar District in particular and all Collectors in general were victimising revenue employees. The Government should take action against IAS officials before victimising the subordinate staff for any misdeed.

Meanwhile, the direct recruits, at a separate press conference, alleged that the association leaders were using their clout with the Government to protect the interests of promotee deputy tahsildars vis-a-vis direct recruits. Though the Supreme Court had given favourable orders to direct recruits in promotion matters, the association prevailed on the Government not to implement the orders causing them irreparable damage, they said.

As the Government promoted senior assistants to deputy tahsildar cadre for brief periods to get work done relating to elections, natural calamities, etc, and reverted after the assignment is over, they were claiming seniority making use of Service Rule 33 (a), which says that 60 days service in a year can be considered for seniority purposes, leading to an anomalous situation.

Giving an example, they said that a person working as senior assistant under a direct recruit of 1986 batch gets his promotion as deputy tahsildar in 1989. But as the promotee had worked as deputy tahsildar temporarily for a period of two months in 1983 claims seniority and gets promotion as tahsildar and later as deputy collector surpassing the '86 batch of direct recruits.

As this anomaly had been brought to the notice of the Government way back in 1980, it issued directions under 4 (e) that promotees and direct recruits would be taken in 50:50 ratio for promotions to tahsildar cadre. The promotees challenged this order in the tribunal and later in the Supreme Court. Though the Supreme Court upheld 4 (e) and gave orders in favour of direct recruits in February this year, the association at the behest of promotees brought pressure on the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, to file a revision petition in the Supreme Court.

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Section  : Southern States
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