Farmers to play roles of Patwari, Kanungo in the near future

Thursday, 01/02/2018

https://dailypost.in/news/punjab/farmers-patwari-kanungo-near-future/

The tasks assigned to Patwaris and Kanungos in Punjab Revenue Department are soon going to be reviewed and re assigned as a file enabling the setting up a Revenue Commission has been completed and submitted to the CM for his approval. According to sources, old revenue-related acts can be abolished or amended with relevant change of land use according to a particular situation. In the proposed Commission, there will be important role of farmers, where they will be able to act like patwaris. To make the Revenue Department digital, transparent and more accountable, the process of reforms has been initiated. Formation of Revenue Commission is on the priority list of the state government. According to Sources, the draft for setting up of the Commission has been prepared and file has been submitted to the Chief Minister.

Sources revealed that if one looks at the number of complaints in the state government, then the revenue department is at the top. Maximum numbers of complaints are from rural areas and that too against Patwaris, Kanungo, Naib- Tehsildar and Tehsildar. These complaints are related to Girdawaris, demarcation of land, preparation of report for damage of crops by natural calamities, etc. It is general custom in the public that mostly Patwaris and Kanungo do not do their duties without any obligation’. It was felt that old acts and no accountability system led to unfair means. These facts have compelled the government to initiate reforms. To set up the formation of Revenue Commission, the government had designated the task to prepare a draft in this regard, around two months ago. Now, the report is in the office of the CM. Sources said the Commission will examine the relevance of old revenue acts like Punjab Land Reforms Act 1972.

Sources also stated that in the draft, there are suggestions to legalise the land lease to protect land holder and tenants from any cheating, especially the small and marginal farmers. Till now, the land measuring system was based on manual system, with full dependency on Patwaris. But with the new system, land measuring will be conducted using GPS system and there will be no need of Patwaris in this context. In future, the farmers will act like patwaris during the reporting of loss of crop during the natural calamity. As farmers will be enabled to upload photos with date and place on the website of the department, where the loss of crop occurred, the department has been suggested to consider the role of patwaris and kanungo again.