Thiruvananthapuram: The farmer’s suicide at a village office in Kozhikode district seems to have shaken the bureaucracy out of its slumber. The government has ordered the village officers not to harass people by sitting on their applications.
The land revenue commissioner has ordered that no citizen should be made to go to the village office more than two times. A land owner should be allowed to pay property tax whenever he wants to. In case the village office clerks are unable to collect the tax, they should do so the next day and give a receipt.
If there are technical or legal obstacles in collecting the tax, the land owner should be informed in writing, with a suggestion to go to the tehsildar for remedies. The tehsildar must look into the matter and forward the application to officers concerned.
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Farmer commits suicide outside village office in Kozhikode, official suspended
The state government has warned revenue officials of strict disciplinary action if they cause another tragic incident such as in Chembanoda. The revenue department has said that the tehsildar would be held accountable for any untoward incident within his jurisdiction.
The revenue additional secretary said tehsildars have a duty to ensure better services at the village offices and they would be entrusted with more powers including the transfer of employees.
The revenue officials will be taken to task if they collect tax on the same property more than once. They are free to collect taxes on land that has not been surveyed yet.
Additional chief secretary (Revenue)collects evidence
Additional chief secretary (Revenue) P.H. Kurien Saturday checked the files related to the land of the deceased farmer, Kaavilpurayidathil Joy, who was found hanging outside the VAO on June 21, said an official release issued here.
Kurien also examined the authenticity of the charges that the 57-year-old farmer had taken the extreme step due to harassment by the village officials who refused to accept the tax for his land for the last 18 months.
He directed that the cases similar to that of Joy's pending before the land tribunal be considered and land tribunal adalats be organized at the panchayat level.
He also directed the district collector to settle such cases without any delay, the release said.
Kurien later chaired a review meeting of revenue officials at the collectorate.
He also visited the kin of the deceased farmer and consoled them.
Later, the senior revenue official told reporters that the preliminary probe pointed towards the failure of the officials in the issue.
"The preliminary investigation hints at the failure of the officials. If it is proved, stringent action will be taken against them which may even include dismissal from service,"said Kurien.
The body of Joy was found hanging outside the VAO at Chembanod on the night of June 21.
The farmer allegedly took the extreme step after the officials refused to accept the tax for the land owned by him.
District collector U.V. Jose had subsequently suspended a village assistant and a village officer for "not accepting the land tax".
(With inputs from PTI)