REPRESENTATION..........MANGS ETC. 327
officers require the Watandars to render private service to them, such as taking a private chit to distant village, under the pretext that such service also falls under one or other of the above mentioned items. In this connection, I further beg to state that almost all Government Officers are paid Travelling and Subsistence Allowances whenever they go outside their headquarters and, therefore, it is in the fitness of the things that these Watandars, who are also Government servants, should also be given proper allowance whenever they are asked to go outside their village to compensate them for the extra expenditure they have to incur.
With regard to Duty No. 2 mentioned in the Government Resolution referred to above, these Watandars say that it should be confined to call the Khatedars by “Bataki” or “Davandi” and should not be extended to running several times after the recalcitrant Khatedars. In this connection, I may bring to Your Excellency’s kind notice that in several instances the Watandars have to expose themselves to the risk of being assaulted and entangled by the recalcitrant Khatedars. In order to avoid all such contingencies, the only solution is the one proposed above.
With regard to Duty No. 7 mentioned in the Government Resolution referred to above which compels the Watandars to give to the village officers information about births and deaths in a village, they claim exemption. For the reasons stated below these Watandars should be exempted from doing this duty and the persons concerned should be compelled to give information of births and deaths to the Village Patil as is done in all Municipal Areas. Sometimes the Watandars boycotted by the so-called touchable villagers and are not allowed to enter the village, In such cases, it becomes impossible for the Watandars to get the necessary information, especially about births and deaths in the village and the Watandars, in consequence, are punished with a fine for no fault of their own.
Duty No. 15 of the said Resolution calls upon the Watandars to remove unclaimed dead bodies. In my opinion this is a duty to be discharged by the Police. The Watandars, therefore, should be exempted from performing that service.