Overworked, cashiers want to put an end to online meetings after 6 p.m. | Bengaluru News

BENGALURU: Overworked and underpaid, village administrators (VAOs) of the sales departmentthe first face of grassroots governance since they document everything from birth to death, recently staged a protest that disrupted service delivery and have now submitted a list of demands they want the government to address.
Saddled with multiple tasks that they say interfere with their primary duties, VAOs and revenue officials protested under the banner of Revenue Village Administrative Officers’ Central Association and eventually attracted the government’s attention. They have sought to put an end to the “continued exploitation of the workforce”, citing that they are denied proper days off in the name of meetings and are harassed by police for providing incorrect income information.
VAOs say they have to attend multiple virtual meetings in a day with senior officials, which takes up a large portion of their time. The association has demanded an end online meetings after 6 p.m., as these gatherings disrupt their family life. Ogesh Naik, president of the association, said his colleagues often work even on holidays. “All Google Meets take place after 6pm working hours, which impacts our family life. We want an end to such gatherings after 6 pm,” Naik said in his statement to the government.
The association said members are inundated with more than 500 applications every day, seeking certificates of pedigree, mutation extract, caste and income certificates. “Most of these applications are supported by affidavits, but due to the huge workload, it is impossible to verify all the documents,” said Krishnamurthy, president of the Karnataka State Revenue Officers/Employees Association. “Inevitably there are discrepancies and delays in the delivery of services. Citing these lapses, the police have registered FIRs against village accountants, tax inspectors and tahsildars. We demand that the state government direct the police not to register FIRs against tax officials.”
Freeze mobile and web apps before 6 p.m
To streamline the delivery of citizen services, the government has launched several web applications, including e-Janma, Aahaara and Registration. But office bearers said: “Uploading data goes beyond working hours. So, all web and mobile applications should be stopped at 6 p.m. so that no official can enter data.”
Members of the association also said that when senior officials stay in inspection bungalows (IBs) during official tours, district officials have to come out of their pockets to finance expenditure on refreshments, meals and snacks for touring officials.
“We demand that all these official expenses be paid by the office of the deputy commissioner, instead of our own civil servants who already receive meager salaries,” they said.
Rajender Kataria, principal secretary of the revenue department, promised the association that all departmental issues will be resolved expeditiously and orders will be issued to this effect. “Some demands require policy decisions. They will be brought to the attention of senior officials. A decision will be taken after consultations at the government level,” Kataria reportedly told the association.