Files forwarded by the offices of tehsildar and naib tehsildars of Islamabad district have been continuously piling up in the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue (ADCR), Islamabad for the past six months. These files are awaiting approval, orders, or directives from the ADCR for the lower formations to take further necessary action.
A recent visit to the Islamabad Tehsil Office revealed that applicants, complainants, and litigants caught in bureaucratic red tape continue to visit the offices of tehsildars and naib tehsildars regularly to inquire about the status of their applications, complaints, and petitions. They are informed that their files have been forwarded to the ADCR for approval or necessary orders, which have not yet been received from the ADCR office.
As a result, the staff instruct the applicants, complainants, and petitioners to visit the ADCR office to check on the status of their files, which are still pending and awaiting the ADCR’s attention.
Muhammad Talib, a resident of village Talhar, has had to visit the Naib Tehsildar Office (NTO) every other day seeking corrections in land records. The NTO forwarded his file to the ADCR office in March for directions from the ADCR, but he still has to visit the NTO office to retrieve his file from the ADCR office.
An official from the tehsildar office, speaking on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that files are piling up in the ADCR office, severely impacting the rights of applicants, complainants, and petitioners who must wait longer for justice.
Raja Riazat, a resident of village Tarlai, said he has been visiting Tehsil offices since 2016 for an amicable settlement of his application for issuing Fard, which shows the correct version of his total property scattered around village Tarlai. “I am still awaiting its judgment to be issued by the ADCR,” he said.
Applicants, complainants, litigants, and petitioners suffer greatly in the Tehsildar Office, Islamabad in general, and the ADCR Office, Islamabad in particular, due to unnecessary delays in getting approvals, orders, and judgments. The processing procedure is lengthy and takes years, observed Matloob Bhatti, another applicant from village Kuri, Islamabad.
An official attached to a naib tehsildar, who requested anonymity, stated that the rate of disposal is slower than the rate of filing cases. “While the volume of work has increased, the staffing remains the same. Even the vacancies are not filled,” he said.
“They make us run around even for small matters. Lots of files are pending there. It is perhaps the worst situation for everyone,” said Malik Nawaz of Panjgaran.
KEHKASHAN TABBASUM,
Lahore.
