June 10, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 05, 1429

DERA GHAZI KHAN, June 9: Despite living in hi-tech age, our low-ranking revenue staff will take sometime before they get off the four-legged beast of burden --- the donkey.

This came to light when union of revenue officials, Anjuman-i–Patwarian, demanded on Monday that the government abolish the century-old ‘donkey allowance’ and provide them motorcycles for their duty. The donkey allowance, which is paid to patwaris for their field work, is Rs15 per month, according to Anjuman-i-Patwarian Divisional President Sabir Husain Ghazlani.

The Anjuman-i-Patwarian official presented a 13-point charter of demands, which also includes promotion of patwaris to scale 9 and increase in 1stationary allowance from Rs15 to Rs300. The charter also demands offices or ‘Patwar Khanas’ for patwaris in every circle, free education for the children of patwaris, ban on direct appointments of the tehsildar and naib tehsildar, inquiries against patwaris by the department and through the Anti-Corruption Establishment and increase in ‘ujrat’ fee, house rent and medical allowance.

Union’s tehsil president Rana Sajjad Ahmed, vice divisional president Rana Ashfaq Ahmed and pattern-in-chief Malik Aslam were present .

The union warned the government of strike if their demands were not met.