GUJRAT: An assistant director land record has tendered her resignation in protest against the non-implementation of the Lahore High Court’s recent verdict to regularise the service of ADLRs by senior member Board of Revenue (SMBR).

The ADLRs had been recruited through the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) in 2014 and were posted at Tehsil level Arazi Record Centres (ARCs) in the province. However, they are yet to be regularised and are still working on contracts.

Ms Ashi Asif, who was ADLR at the Pattoki ARC in Kasur district, sent her resignation to the SMBR on July 06 the last, stating she had filed a representation with the SMBR’s office in 2016 seeking regularisation of her job, but was yet to get a response.

She said in 2017 she filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC), which recently found her case “fit for regularisation” and ordered Board of Revenue (BoR) to regularise her service within a week.

However, she said that to her utter disappointment the court verdict was not implemented so far, forcing her to tender her resignation.

Moreover, she said the SMBR had never had personal interaction with any of the ADLRs so far, whereas the BoR had been reversing the computerised land record system by reviving patwaris in the name of Dehi Markaz Maal (DMM). She regretted that not even record of a single Mauza (revenue estate village) was computerised at the DMMs level, whereas already computerised villages were being distributed among patwaris.Talking to Dawn over telephone she said that she had decided to tender the resignation after losing faith in the system and did not attend the office on Wednesday. She said an official working under SMBR had contacted one of her colleagues and asked her to convince her (Ms Asif) to withdraw her resignation. However, she said, her decision was final.

Official sources said the BoR was likely to file an intra-court appeal against the LHC verdict issued on June 29 the last.

They confirmed that the BoR was gradually moving towards replacing the field staff of the Punjab Land Record Authority (PLRA) with the revenue officials such as patwaris, gardawars and revenue officers etc through the DMMs at the Patwar circle level. Earlier, the DMMs were established at the Qanoongoi level across the province.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2021