Work hit at sub-registrar’s office in Agra since May 3

Another week passed without any work being done at the sub-registrar’s office on the Tehsil premises of Agra. Heavy revenue losses continued to be incurred by the state exchequer because no sale deeds, gift deeds, wills or agreements were registered as deed writers continued to oppose the govt plan of opening front offices here.

Lawyers and deed writers on the Tehsil premises of Agra are on strike since May 3 against the state government’s plan to open front offices and depute ‘Nibhandhan Mitras’, private employees, at these front offices to be opened on PPP model on tehsil premises statewide.

“All lawyers, deed writers, stamp vendors, typists are on strike since May 3 to oppose the plan of the state government to open front offices. This is a step towards privatisation of services,” stated Arvind Kumar Dubey, the general secretary of Tehsil Bar Association.

“No work is being carried out of registration at the sub-registrar offices and in courts on the tehsil premises as all on protest handed over a memorandum addressed to the chief minister to the SDM Agra. A mock condolence meeting for stamp and registration minister Ravindra Jaiswal was organised at the tehsil office on Saturday,” added Dubey.

“We have decided to hold a division level protest meeting on May 21 here at Sadar Tehsil in Agra and lawyers, deed writers from different tehsils functional in districts of Agra, Firozabad, Mathura within the Agra division will gather to raise a united voice against the government’s plans,” stated Dubey.

A similar protest took place in Aligarh, where lawyers and deed writers went on strike on April 22, claiming that the state government’s plan to introduce private players will negatively impact their interests at sub-registrar and tehsil offices.

Later, the DIG stamps, Aligarh, Shiv Shankar Yadav assured lawyers that whenever these front offices become functional, they will not negatively impact the interests of lawyers and deed writers.

Yadav explained to the attendees that the purpose of the front offices is to provide better seating arrangements, drinking water facilities, cleaner toilets, and a help desk to offer proper information to people visiting the registration department.

“There are no plans to privatise registration department, and there will be no interference in the work of lawyers and deed writers. They will continue to work as they are currently doing,” stated the officials during the meeting.