PATNA, March 25 -- Deputy chief minister-cum-revenue minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Tuesday warned the circle officers (COs), revenue officers (ROs) and other revenue cadre officials to call off the stir and rejoin the duty by Wednesday, otherwise the department would take stern punitive action against them. The Dy CM's statement followed an order issued by the revenue and land reforms department's additional secretary, Ajiv Vatsraj, which declared the mass casual leave taken by the COs, ROs and other revenue service officers illegal. These officers have been on the stir since March 9 in support of their demands, which included posting of revenue service officers on the post of deputy collector land revenue (DCLR) and additional district land acquisition officers, currently occupied by those belonging to the Bihar administrative service cadre officers. Sinha said that the absence of these officers is not only against service rules but is also hitting ordinary citizens hard, delaying everything from land records to dispute resolutions. He had earlier set March 15 as the deadline for the striking officers to join duty and escape disciplinary action. "There can be no compromise on public interest and administrative discipline," Sinha declared. He pointed out that the officers' absence comes at a critical time, with chief minister Nitish Kumar's ongoing Samriddhi Yatra and upcoming land reform public consultations demanding extra vigilance from the revenue machinery. "Staying away from duty in such a scenario amounts to serious negligence," he added....