SIR duty cripples revenue offices, public services disrupted across Kerala

Kozhikode: Routine public services at revenue offices across Kerala have been halted for over a week following the deployment of more than 1,000 department employees for hearings related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

With complaints mounting over service disruptions, Land Revenue Commissioner Jeevan Babu has directed district collectors to urgently identify and deploy staff from other departments to handle SIR-related duties.

Essential services delivered through revenue offices — such as land use conversion, issuance of various certificates, land surveys, assignment of title deeds, land acquisition, revenue recovery proceedings, and the issue of firearm and explosive licences — have come to a standstill. Consequently, hundreds of people are being forced to return home each day without receiving these services.

Deputy Collectors, appointed as Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) for each Assembly constituency, issue SIR hearing notices. In addition, Tahsildars or Superintendents have been designated as Additional EROs, while Deputy Tahsildars or Junior Superintendents have been appointed as Assistant EROs. These officials are entrusted with conducting the hearings.

Across the state, over 19.32 lakh hearing notices have been issued so far. As the exercise is required to be completed before February 14, all these officials and their entire office staff are now fully engaged at camps where the hearings are being conducted.

As a result, several key projects scheduled for completion before the announcement of the Assembly elections are facing delays. In view of this, Minister K Rajan has directed the Land Revenue Commissioner to take urgent measures to address the situation.