Licensed copywriters, who help draft transfer deeds for property sale, are likely to be rendered jobless in West Bengal following the amendment of the Registration Act, 1908. About 90 per cent of the copywriters may be thrown out of work.
A spokesman for the Copywriters Association told Business Standard, a lot of us at our age will not find any other form of employment. We can only hope that the government will do something for us.
He further said the government is left with just two options. The government can either absorb the copywriters into the state government service or can revoke the amendment.
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The first option is less likely as sources in the registrars office say there is no vacancy to accommodate all those who will lose their jobs in government employment. The Citu-affiliated association had earlier sought absorption 12 years ago, but there has been no response from the state government so far.
The copywriters association is currently guiding a writ petition against the West Bengal government. The hearing of the case which was held yesterday at the Calcutta High Court was presided over by Justice Satyabrata Sinha who has moved the hearing of the case due to its far reaching implications, to a larger bench.
With the amendment, apart from the obvious loss of revenue, the state will also lose a substantial amount in the form of luxury fees, the extra amount that is paid for registering property outside the original jurisdiction of the Calcutta High Court.