CO ON LEAVE, WORK PARALYZED

CO ON LEAVE, WORK PARALYZED

7-NOV-ENG 15

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------Administrative operations at the Ara Sadar Anchal office have ground to a complete standstill over the past two days, causing immense hardship to hundreds of residents arriving from distant rural areas who are forced to return empty-handed.

The operational disruption follows the absence of Ara Sadar Circle Officer (CO) Ankita Singh, who proceeded on leave for personal reasons until November 9. However, despite her scheduled absence, district authorities failed to implement alternative administrative arrangements or delegate temporary charge to another officer.

Adding to the administrative lapse, the Circle Officer's official CUG mobile phone was left behind with head clerk (bada babu) Narendra Kumar Singh, raising serious questions regarding official protocol and accountability in public administration.

The absence of an authorizing officer has halted key revenue and administrative functions across the circle office:

·       Certificate Issuance: Processing and delivery of vital public documents—including caste, residential, and income certificates—have come to a total halt.

·       Land & Revenue Services: Crucial land management procedures—including land mutation (dakhil-kharij), land ownership certificates, physical land measurements, parimarjan, and jamabandi updates—remain entirely blocked.

·       Dispute Resolutions & Clearances: Legal hearings on land encroachment disputes, administrative execution under Operation Basera, and the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) are stalled.

Dozens of urgent official files requiring the Circle Officer's digital key and physical signature remain pending, leaving aggrieved citizens demanding immediate intervention from higher district authorities to restore normal office functions.