Apathy, callousness, cruelty – define the state of affairs in Alwar district administration.
A widow Saroj, who had worked with Alwar district council for 34 years, has been forced to run from pillar to post for pension. She got retired in June 2024 and since then she has been chasing district council officers for pension. Such cases let down the efforts of chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and chief secretary Sudhansh Pant towards providing good governance and clean administration.
Alwar district council CEO Ramswaroop Chauhan has been shrugging his responsibility saying that service book is not complete even when maintaining the service record is the responsibility of the department, not the employee. Chauhan is a 2011 batch RAS officer promoted from Tehsildar service.
Chauhan's reasoning looks hollow in view of the fact that Saroj had served her entire tenure of 34 years on deputation at Mada Ashram Hostel Rajgarh except from the period – February 2024 to June 2024 – when she was sent to the parent department of education. She was last posted as a teacher in Government Higher Primary Gangabagh, Rajgarh.
“I have been getting my salary in time and had served on just two posts during my entire career. How can my service record be missing? They are just torturing me for ulterior motives,” Saroj said while conveying words of warning that Alwar district administration will be responsible if anything happens to her.
The BuckStopper tried to reach out to Ramswaroop Chauhan. He said he was busy in a meeting. After that several WhatsApp messages and phone calls went unanswered.
We will update the story after we get response from the district administration.
What is the case?
Saroj was selected as a teacher in September 1990 under widow category. From the first day of her service – September 13, 1990 – she was attached with Manda Ashram Hostel Rajgarh on deputation. She had served there till February 1, 2024 and then was sent to parent department from where she got retired in June 2024. In total she had served in only two offices across her service tenure.
A mother of three, Saroj struggled to raise her kids single handedly and even now at the fag end of her life is still struggling to get her rightful pension – the only source of income through which she can fend her living.
“My son and daughter live in Jaipur. But I am forced to stay at Rajgarh in a rented accommodation to complete my retirement formalities. They say that my service book is not complete. Is it my responsibility to complete the service book? No one is listening,” rues Saroj, who at the age of 61, had to shuttle from Alwar to Rajgarh requesting babus to complete the paper formalities.
The elementary education department has sent several reminders to Alwar District Council to send complete service record of Saroj so that pension can be processed. But all have fallen on the deaf ears of administration. Babus there are so insensitive that they care a damn.
“One of the staff Subhash Chand Pandya, who is responsible for completing the service book, openly challenges – Do whatever you want to do. I am not bothered whether you get pension or not. No one can dare to touch me,” said Saroj.
Prakash Bhandari is a veteran journalist with over 50 years of experience. He has worked with The Times of India for 30 years and contributed to leading publications as well as international news agency AFP.
