VAOs in Madurai protest against transfer orders

Village Administrative Officers (VAOs) held a protest outside the Madurai Revenue Divisional Officer’s (RDO) office on Monday. They gathered at the Madurai Collectorate to express their grievances over recent transfer orders. The officials were involved in verifying the identities of people applying for free housing pattas under a Tamil Nadu housing scheme. During a review meeting, the Madurai RDO noted that some officers were not performing their duties effectively. As a result, he ordered the transfer of 27 VAOs. In response, more than 50 VAOs protested by not showing up for work. Jayabaskar, the district president of the VAO Association, stated that they would not return until their demands were addressed. He warned that their absence might slow down the process of identifying eligible beneficiaries for the housing scheme.