Santhal Pargana Commissioner cracks down on revenue sluggishness
In a marathon review session held on Monday, Divisional Commissioner of Santhal Pargana, Shailendra Kumar Lal, issued stern directives to administrative and legal officers across the division, warning that complacency in revenue collection and delays in disposing of pending judicial matters would invite strict departmental action. Presiding over two consecutive high-level meetings at the Commissioner’s Office in Dumka, the senior administrator conducted an exhaustive district-wise evaluation of revenue collection targets alongside a detailed review of cases pending before the Supreme Court and the Jharkhand High Court.
Addressing the Additional Collectors from all six districts of the division, the Commissioner expressed grave concern over the sub-par performance of certain departments and districts regarding their designated revenue targets. Undertaking a granular assessment of proceeds from land revenue, rent collections, mining dues, and allied sectors, Lal reiterated that revenue mobilization remains at the very top of the government’s priority agenda. He cautioned the gathering that sluggishness, negligence, or lack of inter-departmental synergy in achieving targets would not be tolerated, directing officials to mount targeted drives in low-performing sectors to bridge the shortfall without further delay.
Shifting the administrative lens to legal compliance, the Commissioner took up a case-by-case review of ongoing litigations involving the division's districts, focusing particularly on overdue counter-affidavits, Letters Patent Appeals (LPA), and contempt petitions. Expressing displeasure over procedural bottlenecks, he set a strict 15-day deadline for officers to draft and finalize Para-wise Statements of Facts, secure competent-level approvals, and file pending counter-affidavits before the respective courts.
Emphasizing the perils of administrative inertia in contempt matters, Lal instructed authorities to immediately verify compliance statuses and execute court directions within the stipulated time frames to prevent adverse legal outcomes. He also ordered the establishment of an up-to-date tracking register documenting case numbers, litigant details, hearing dates, and follow-up measures for every active litigation. Settlement officers and legal branch in-charges were directed to prioritize matters nearing immediate hearing dates, ensuring timely dispatch of compliance reports and seamless coordination across state departments.
The comprehensive review proceedings were attended by Secretary to the Commissioner Ravi Prakash, Deputy Transport Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Santhal Pargana Regional Transport Authority Jhunu Kumar Mishra, Settlement Officer Chandra Bhushan Singh, Additional Collectors of all six districts, and heads of the respective district legal cells.
