PATNA, May 1 -- Officers of the Bihar revenue service (BRS), including circle officers (COs) and revenue officers (ROs), have decided to end their nearly two-month-long mass casual leave that began on March 9. The officers will resume normal duties from May 4 after the state government gave an assurance of sympathetic consideration to their long-pending demands. The decision to suspend the agitation was taken unanimously by the Bihar Revenue Service Joint Front, which includes BiRSA and BiRSA United Joint Struggle Front. In a press release issued on Thursday, the front expressed confidence in the leadership of chief minister Samrat Choudhary and said that the move was taken in the larger public interest to avoid further inconvenience to common citizens. The officers had launched the protest demanding proper implementation of service rules, particularly the transfer and posting of qualified BRS officers on the posts of deputy collectors land revenue (DCLR) and district land acquisition officers (DLO). They also sought full administrative control of the DCLR posts under the revenue department and overall strengthening of the BRS cadre. According to revenue and land reforms department secretary Jay Singh, several key revenue-related works such as mutation (dakhil-kharij), map correction, measurement of land, and resolution of land disputes had been severely affected due to the prolonged absence of officers. He said clear instructions have been issued to all District Magistrates and Circle Officers to review pending applications and ensure their time-bound disposal. "From May 4, all revenue service officers must report to their respective places of posting. Any absence or negligence in duty will invite appropriate administrative action," the secretary warned. The department has also decided to put in place a special monitoring mechanism at the district level to keep track of progress on pending cases. Priority lists of long-pending applications will be prepared and disposed of in a phased manner, officials said. However, the strike by field-level revenue workers continued even as the officers' agitation came to an end. Workers affiliated with the Bihar Rajya Bhumi Sudhar Karmachari Sangh have been on agitation for the past four months. They have maintained that no concrete written assurance has been given by the government so far to meet their demands, forcing them to continue their protest. The officers' front has given the government a two-month window to address their 11-point charter of demands submitted on March 5. If the issues are not resolved within this period through concrete steps, the Joint Front has warned that it may be forced to resume the democratic protest once again. The suspension of the officers' mass casual leave is expected to bring much-needed momentum to land-related services across the state. Citizens have been facing delays in mutation, issuance of land certificates, and settlement of land disputes for several weeks....