K Chandrasekhar Rao’s decision to rejig Revenue Act angers staff

Hyderabad: Generally, any government maintains a cordial relation with its employees. But Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has upset revenue department employees and teachers' associations.

His decision to restructure the revenue department has angered the department’s staff. Sources close to the CM said that the purpose of the changes was to make Telangana a corruption-free state. The revenue department deals with all sections of people and it is no secret that in a majority of government offices, no work can be done without bribing. In rural areas, even the most basic work is held up. Keeping all this in view, the CM concentrated on the revenue department as the first step, the sources said.

The TRS is of the opinion that government employees and teachers did not support it in the Assembly elections and also in the recent MLC elections. Recently, the Chief Minister said, “I am going to bring changes in the revenue department. If the employees take up agitation against this, the people should support the government and not sit at home.”

Mr Rao feels that the people will not support agitating employees because they are usually not sympathetic towards government employees.

Mr Rao feels that if the system is simplified and people can get work done easily from government departments, they will support the government and the TRS. He will himself be seen as a champion of the people.

Mr Rao is planning to hold a brief Assembly session in May before the announcement of the Lok Sabha results, to bring in the new Revenue and Municipal Acts.

The employees of the Revenue department are, however, on the warpath. The Telangana Revenue Employees Services Association (Tresa) held an emergency meeting on Tuesday and decided to launch an agitation if the new Act questions their existence. The Tresa has formed a joint action committee to chalk out an action plan. It will meet TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao to brief him about the work they have done in the past five years.  They will support the government on a new Revenue Act, but not at the cost of the employees.

Former Tresa president M. Shiva Shankar said that in the past three decades successive governments have brought many changes to the Revenue Act. They will welcome any changes that do not involve merging the revenue department with any other department. He said that the revenue staff at village level have no facilities and even have no offices and the government should concentrate on this.

Meanwhile, the Telangana Tahasildars Association founder president Lachhireddy and state president Goutham met district employees on Wednesday and discussed the latest developments in the revenue department. They said that they will welcome a new Revenue Act and work in the new system.