Record-keeping: Learning the hard way

The revenue department of the Pune district collectorate is stuck in a ‘catch 22 situation’ that has got the employees running from pillar to post, literally. It is the compilation of a duplicate service book of a deceased sepoy, Gulab Laxman Abghade, that has got the employees burning their midnight oil.

Abghade was employed with the collectorate in 1965 and had worked in various departments till 1977. After August 1977, Abghade left without informing anyone and died later.

Last year, Abghade’s widow Janabai, had filed an application with the Lokayukta in Mumbai to receive the family pension that every government servant’s widow is entitled to after his death.
During the hearings, it was revealed that although, Abghade had disappeared, he was not terminated from his services by the department.

The Lokayukta, on its part, had termed the non-termination, as a serious lapse on the part of the revenue department and asked it to start the pension for Abghade’s widow.

However, the revenue department is now unable to calculate the pension dues, as it was discovered that Abghade’s service book is missing. The service book keeps the records of the service details of a government employee and his / her pension is also calculated on this basis.

In order to put together the duplicate service book, the officials at the revenue department have to carry out voluminous correspondence with all the departments where Abghade had worked.

Due to the enormous time lapse, most of the records like the attendance rosters have either been lost or misplaced by the departments. To recover the same, officials have to visit many of the record rooms.

Despite the hard work put in by the department, the pension to be paid would not be more than Rs800 per month.