BISHNUPUR, May 22: Receiving reports about the irregularity of the staff of the Computerised Land Records Centre, SDC Oinam/ Nambol working under the supervision of the National Informatics Centre, this correspondent visited the office on Thursday around 11.09am only to find the door locked.
However as this correspondent was trying to take pictures of the closed door, an individual identifying himself as the technical officer of the NIC approach from the opposite corridor and interfered.
He questioned the correspondent as with whose permission he was taking the pictures and asked him to delete the pictures already taken.
However, as the correspondent tried to take the pictures, the man blocked the camera with his face and denied taking any picture of the locked door. In the process, the correspondent ended taking picture of the man’s face with the door in the background.
Soon, the official asked the correspondent to come to his room where in the presence of other staff, he asked the correspondent to delete the pictures and threatened that he would face dire consequences if the photographs are published in the newspaper.
There is no relation between the NIC and CLRC, but the NIC works only as a technical support to the latter, the official told the correspondent.
The NIC team comes early to the office and work diligently, he said and further observed that his team would be made a scapegoat if there is any report of the irregularity of the CLRC in the news.
When asked why there was no staff of the SDC Nambol/ Oinam present at the moment even though it was about to be noon, he told the IFP correspondent that it could have been by sheer chance that they were absent today.
Speaking to a visitor of the office, later on, the IF correspondent found out that the visitor had been to the office three times without getting his work done.
He said he came first on May 20 around 12:45 pm, but was told that the staff of the SDC Nambol/ Oinam had gone out to attend something.
I waited till 2 pm that day but they never came back, he said.
He continued he went to the SDC office Nambol to get a patta of his homestead, but was informed there that hand written patta is outdated and advised him to get a computerised one from the Bishnupur NIC office.
His third visit ended in a similar futile effort, the villager told the correspondent.
Furthermore, another villager expressed that he had demanded a computerised Patta from the CLRC and accordingly was issued but it turned out to be in the name of his neighbour with the Patta number of his homestead.
When enquired with the office concerned, he was told that it might have been a copy error, but would need permission for rectification, which has created issues with his neighbour, the villager lamented.
On checking the original patta, he found his name against the homestead, he continued.
When the correspondent approached the DC office to apprise him of the issue, the PA to the official denied him the permission on the ground that the DC may not know anything on the matter.
