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‘Himachal’ detected
He undertook an in-depth study on the disease for two years and finally detected the new strain, which he has named ‘Himachal’. The disease is prevalent across the length and breadth of the country. In the preliminary stage, he first conducted a molecular study to identify the strains of this mysterious fever in collaboration with the Rickettsial Disease Centre (RDC), France. However, no financial assistance was provided to him by the RDC or any other agency. He collected 33 blood samples of the patients suffering from this suspected mysterious fever from the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla, Ripon Hospital Shimla, Zonal Hospital, Mandi and Civil Hospital, Arki. He forwarded these samples to the RDC for examination out of which 27 samples were found positive. After this, his two years of intense study had helped him in detecting the world’s eighth strain of this disease, which had been authenticated by the International Gene Bank as India
Himachal While talking to The Tribune, Dr Mahajan has further claimed to have developed ‘Dipstick’ test with local strains for diagnosing the scrub typhus. He said that he was now making efforts to make ‘Dipstick’ test available across the state, which would cost very less as compared to other available facilities for this test. “With this, the disease can be diagnosed immediately and economically within 15 to 20 minutes, which can help timely and proper treatment to save the lives of patients suffering from this fatal disease,” he said. Apart from this, Dr Mahajan has so far contributed more than 25 research papers and articles in various national and international medical journals. One of his research studies titled ‘Stroke at moderate altitude’ was awarded with J.C. Patel and B.C. Mehta best paper award in 2003-2004. He is the first physician from the hill state who had been conferred this national level award. |
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Chamba carnations go Dutch
The
remote Churah valley of Tissa in Chamba may soon be catapulted on to the world flower map. A MoU on the export of carnations is likely to be signed between the Churah Valley Flower Grower Cooperative Society and florists of Holland.
The first sample lot of 2,500 carnations to Holland about a fortnight back has been rated well quality wise. With the flowers having been exported around Valentine Day, they were well received as they were found to be of international quality, a pre-requisite to be accepted in the flower markets of Holland. The experts in Holland are still studying various aspects of the carnations exported from Tissa like their shelf life, duration of freshness in water and vases, storage and under what temperature they last longest. The MoU is likely to be signed shortly between the Dutch florists and the Churah Flower Growers Cooperative Society. The florists will communicate the details of the MoU to the Agricultural Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APPEDA), Union Ministry of Commerce. Despite government efforts in the past, floriculture has not been able to take off in a big way in the state mainly because of lack of proper marketing strategy for flowers like carnations, gladiolus and tulips. It is mainly due to the tireless efforts made by Jagdish Sharma, an IAS officer hailing from Churah that the flowers grown in Tissa could reach Holland. There is also a possibility that besides carnations, the growers of Churah might be asked to grow some other flowers like
tulips, Even the Dutch experts, who visited Tissa found the cool climes of the Churah valley ideal for cultivating carnations, even though they are being grown in green houses. With high returns from floriculture and a MoU being signed for the cultivation of carnations, more farmers are expected to take up flower cultivation in the near future. It was at the International Flora Expo held in Delhi in September 2006 that the opportunity for exporting flowers to Holland came Himachal’s way. Himachal, along with 15 other countries, had put up a stall, where carnations grown in the state were displayed. With a return of almost Rs 1 lakh from a 500 sq mt plot, the government too is keen to promote floriculture so that more farmers switch over to growing flowers. The Dutch had provided the plants brought from Holland to the growers in Churah from which the first consignment of flowers has been exported to Holland. They were sold at a rate of about Rs 10 to 11 per plant to the growers. In fact, the first consignment of carnations, which had been exported to Holland was classified and packed by Dutch expert S. Naile. Depending on the prices these carnations fetch in the Dutch markets will decide to what scale floriculture can be expanded in the hill state. So far about 467 hectares of land in the state is under floriculture. Carnation is mainly being grown in poly houses in the districts of Mandi, Kulu, Solan, Bilaspur, Chamba and Sirmour,” said an official of the Horticulture department. |
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Down but not out
At
ninety, Vidya Wanti still is hopeful of getting justice. Critically ill, crippled and bed-ridden, her wrinkled face presents a picture of gloom, despondency and dejection, yet a ray of hope lights up her dim eyes at the mention of the family pension, which is due to her by the Ministry of Defence.
Widowed in 1977, she has been getting Rs 605 per month with effect from November 1997, that too after a series of representations to senior officials. Married to Jagdish Chander, soldier of the Electrical Mechanical Engineers (E.M.E.) Corps, he served the Army from 1940 to 1956. The family was denied pension on the plea that he was a non-combatant and hence civilian who was not entitled to pension or Provident Funds. His son B.M. Maini, a retired assistant public relations officer, however, contends that if this was the yardstick, then the entire E.M.E. Corps, comprising mechanics and engineers, should be denied such benefits. He questions why only his father has been singled out?
Enrolled in the Army on August 4, 1940, Jagdish Chander served in the World War-II and went to countries like Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan where many of his colleagues lost their lives. He was awarded several medals for his participation in various battles. Displaying the medals, which bear the names of countries, his EME Corps name and other details now appear like trivial pieces of scrap to the family as they too have failed to affirm his combatant status. The family is unable to understand why he has been considered a civilian when he wore the Army uniform throughout his career, was involved in all combatant
activities, including PT, parade, mass and guard duties as well as firing and fighting exercises. Even after a series of representations to various officials, little has been achieved so far. Rather adding insult to the injury, a paltry sum of 150 per month was affixed as ex-gratia pension from January 1992 which was later raised to Rs 605 from November 1997. Vidya Wanti contends that she should have been given ex-gratia pension from February 21, 1977, when her husband died.
Citing an apex court ruling, Maini observes that under liberalised family pension rules, applicable from January 1996, as announced by former Prime
Minister A.B. Vajpayee, minimum pension was fixed at Rs 1,275. Even this has not been adhered to. All representations sent to senior dignitaries have ended in a one-line terse reply stating that there are no rules for this. Unfazed by the lack of success, Vidya Wanti has again written to the defence secretary, now hoping once again that this she will get some favourable response.
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vignettes
“Her
features were regular, but capable of great and rapid changes of expression. Her complexion was orientally dark, but transparently clear; her eyes were deep blue, and, as I distinctly remember, of excessive beauty, although bright with less indications of gentle and tender affections of her sex than of more stormy and passionate excitements. The mouth, too, had a singularly set character, far more allied to the determined than the voluptuous. It was impossible to look at her for many minutes without feeling convinced that she was made up of very wayward and troublesome elements. Her animal spirits were naturally very great; she romped as assiduously as any girl of her age; danced gracefully, talked with great animation in her merry moods.”
This is the word-picture of Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert painted by her drawing teacher J. G. Grants. Marie was born in 1818 at Grange in County Sligo, North Ireland, and not at Limerick, Central Ireland, as has been claimed by many historians. In 1823, the Gilberts moved to India. Two years later, Marie’s father Edward Gilbert died of cholera. Her mother Eliza remarried an Indian Army Officer, Patrick Cragie, and sent her daughter back to Britain to study further so she could measure up to the elderly, but respectable, and esteemed Sir Abraham Lumley, whom Eliza wanted Marie to marry. Eliza was on a voyage to England in 1837 and met Thomas James, a young ensign, going back on furlough. She tended him throughout the journey in the ship and on reaching England took him to meet her daughter in school. The two young hearts started beating as one and when Eliza returned to India, 16-year-old Marie eloped with Lieutenant Thomas James. An upset Eliza snapped all ties with the young couple. That time, Captain Cragie was posted in Shimla and Lieutenant James in Karnal. Mrs Cragie, on persuasion from friends and relatives, tied up with the newly married and invited them to Shimla in 1839. Upon her arrival, Marie James, stunned the men who mattered. She was acclaimed as a ravishing beauty. Whenever she passed through the Mall in a palki, all eyes remained glued to her face. She ‘looked like a star among all the others’. Her zip and zing became the talk of the town. Emily Eden, sister of Lord Auckland, wrote on September 8, 1839: “Simla is much moved just now by the arrival of a Mrs J, who has been talked of as great beauty all the year, and that drives every other woman with any pretensions in that line, quite distracted.” Captain Cragie, her stepfather, gave her ample money with which she could make a trip to England later. Cragie was not handsomely rich but used to squander on loans. His will of September 24, 1843 discloses his assets: “I possess considerable property at Simla which I hope will not be thrown away but sold at the best advantage. My buggy and horses are also of some value and I feel satisfied they will also be sold to advantage. I cannot enumerate other debts but I do not think they are very heavy. My sole wish is that that the property I leave behind me may cover my debts and should there be any residue, I bequeath it to my beloved wife Eliza Cragie.” After a fortnight of writing the will, he died at the age of 44 at Dinapore and was buried at Christian Burial Ground, Patna. Marie divorced Thomas in 1842 and became an exotic dancer under the stage name Lola Montez in London. Soon she gained popularity there for the self-created Tarantula Dance and the expression Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. She started living on the income of wealthy men — including Franz Liszt and Alexander Dumas — as their courtesan. In 1846, she travelled to Munich where she met Ludwig I of Bavaria and quickly became his mistress. Ludwig was so passionately in love with her that she, in fact, started ruling Bavaria. A revolutionary movement against the conditions there in 1848 made her run for life to USA from where she went to Australia. She performed an erotic Spider Dance at the Theatre Royale in Melbourne in 1855, which was termed as “utterly subversive to all ideas of public morality.” The Ballart Times once reviewed her performance as ‘bad’. She chased the Editor, Henry Seekamp, with a whip. She spent the last two years of her life in New York. At the age of 40, Lola died of a stroke in a wretched boarding house, alone. Tailpiece Here are unedited jottings from Lola’s notes: “The foothills of Himalayas can be seen from Karnal. Lots of trees on the way to Simla are rhotedendrons (rhododendrons). There are monkeys all over Simla climbing in pine trees. The jungle used to come down to Karnal. Lord Auckland’s place was on the ridge, north of the Mall and perpendicular to it, with Himalayas views. The Hindu temples all have long poles with little pennants. The hill princes used cows’ tails to whisk flies. Terraced hillsides on the way to Simla with candlebra (candelabra)-like cactus. Precipitous, wooded hillside around Simla. From Simla you can see ridges of the foothills fading away and finally disappearing into the haze of heat over the plains. Enroute to Simla there are curious pine trees with long, erect trunks and a round, full crown.”
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Global warming, local concern
The
much talked about global warming has now a local angle too. It has been found that the Vaspa basin here has been de-glaciating at an estimated 19 per cent from 1962 to 2001. The Indian part of the Himalayas, which has about 15,000 glaciers is retreating by 30 meters per annum—a cause of serious concern among the scientists.
These were the major focus of the two-day workshop on ‘Climatic Change and its Impact on Farming Systems and Natural Resources’ at Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni. The scientists said if the present rate of de-glaciations continues, the likelihood of the Indian glaciers disappearing by the year 2035 would be high as pointed out in a recent report of the International Commission for Snow and Ice. The report further states that the Asian glaciers may increase the water flow in several rivers, thus increasing the frequency of floods and adversely impacting agriculture. Dr Jagmohan Chauhan, vice-chancellor, Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, while addressing the participants said the climatic changes taking place in the past 150-200 years due to human activities had been rapid. The green-house emissions have contributed to the global warming. The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 32 per cent where the pre-industrial level of 280 PPM has soared to 379 PPM in 2005. As per the report of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climatic Change, the global average surface temperature may increase by 1.4 to 5 degree centigrade by the end of the 20th century while the sea level may rise from 0.18 to 0.60 meter by the turn of the century. The participants agreed that the global warming had been brought about mainly by the human activities like rapid industrialisation, enhanced use of fossil fuels as well as intensive agricultural practices. This has led to an increased concentration of green-house gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. The workshop concluded with various recommendations like a need for the estimation of biomass and carbon pool of trees outside forests, developing adaptation strategies which should include development of drought/heat tolerant genotype, improved farm management practices, change in land use, watershed management and agri-insurance. The thrust of the research should be on impact assessment further based on demand and supply of foods crops, plantation, agro-forestry, soils, water, pests, fish and livestock, equity and vulnerable ecosystems.
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shimla Diary
Irregular
and declining trend in snowfall has over the years has led to slackness in the preparedness for snow clearance operations. The local Municipal Corporation and the Public Works Department are short of requisite manpower and equipment. It becomes quite evident whenever the weather god obliges with heavy snow.
The record snow, which the region experienced during February, threw up one such occasion. It took much time for the Public Works Department open the main highways leading to the Rohru and Chopal areas. The snow-clearance operations were hampered as they did not have adequate number of big snow-cutters. The small snow-cutters were not as effective as a result of which the road at Kharapthar, Khidki and other higher areas remained blocked for almost a week. The department has only two big snow-cutters, which are used to clear the Hindustan-Tibet highway between Shimla and Narkanda. The snow-cutters it acquired recently were small. The revolving type snow-cutters, which are effective in clearing heavy snow, are no longer there. These days snow–pushers, which work like earth-movers, are used. However, the department does not have snow-pushers with pneumatic tyres. The chained snow-pushers cause much damage to the road surface. Officers say that at least two big snow-pushers should be acquired for efficient road clearance during heavy snow. The Municipal Corporation does not have any snow-cutter, it is dependent on the PWD which is itself short of machinery. The corporation hires labour through contractor for snow clearance. The workers lack the necessary gear like snow jackets, gloves and snow shoes and as such they are not in a position to carryout the job efficiently. There is no arrangement for rescue and relief operations. Tarun Kapoor, deputy commissioner, feels that the corporation must acquire at lest one snow-cutter for prompt clearance of roads. Dependence on the PWD is not desirable as its own priorities. From the next season, a team of home guards will be kept ready with rescue equipment for any exigency. There is also a proposal to procure snow gears for the workers. Anti-begging Act The ever-increasing number of beggars in the ‘Queen of Hills’ is becoming a matter of concern. They have become a nuisance not only for the tourists but also the local people. Their activity is no longer confined to the vicinity of temples, bus stands, railway stations and other vantage points. They could be seen mobbing tourists even on the Mall, particularly the stretch from the Shimla Club to the Combermere bridge. There is not respite even during the lean and rather chilly winter months as, unlike the past, not many of them migrate to warmer plains. Places like the abandoned railway yard, bus stand and Phagli, which served as camp sites for the seasonal migrants, are gradually becoming their permanent settlements. Obviously, winter is no longer an ‘off-season’ for their business. Their activity is at peak during summer when a large number of them from the plains descend on the cool hill station to escape the oppressive heat. It makes sense business-wise as tourists, who throng the city in hordes, fall easy prey to their pathetic pleadings. The beggars move in different areas. The child-beggars move in groups and more successful. The police occasionally carries out drives to check the menace. Beggars are nabbed and transported outside of the state. However, this only provides temporary relief as they return before long. It is time to enforce the Anti-Begging Act strictly. Religion Bill is in news again The issue of religious conversion has making news in the peaceful hill state ever since the state Freedom of Religion Bill came into force last month. Some scheduled caste families, which embraced Christianity returned to their original faith at a public ceremony in the local Sanatan Dharam Mandir last week. In all 151 men, women and children returned to Hinduism again at a
programme organised by the state unit of the All-India Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe
Mahasangh, which has been working for the social uplift of Dalits. According to Tarsem Bharti, president of the
mahasangh, the alienated families were keen to return but they were skeptical about the response of the Hindu community. The presence of hundreds of people, including Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists, reassured them that they were accepted back to the Hindu fold. The development has come within days of the implementation of the new law under which lays down procedure voluntary religious conversion to eliminate scope for change of faith by coercion or allurements. The Christian organisations have been up in arms against the state Freedom of Religion Bill and had launched campaign to get it repealed. Awards for mediapersons The Himachal Pradesh chapter of the Society for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies has instituted two awards to honour those making outstanding contribution for the cause of the disabled in the name of Mahatma Gandhi to mark the centenary year of Satyagrah. The awards will be given to a media person for creating awareness about various aspects of disability and exemplary work for the disabled. The awards carrying a cash prize of Rs 11,000 and a citation will be an annual feature. Ajay Srivastav, chairperson of the society, says the aim is to build a strong disability rights movement in the hill state to help the disabled community get its due. His organisation has also started research and documentation work related to disability. It is organising a state-level workshop on “Human Resource Development in Disability Sector” for non-government organisation shortly.
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Cementing the destructive forces
The
proposed Rs10-billion cement plant in the Chambi-Khatarvari belt will spell doom for the fertile Mandi-Balh-Nachen-Sundernagar belt, which has emerged as a knowledge cum-education hub in the state. The plant, which is being set up by the Birla group of industries, has a capacity of 127 metric tones per annum.
Farmers of this region face eviction from their agricultural land as the proposed plant will acquire over 1200 bighas both for the plant and mining purpose. Most of the land is agricultural land and violates the government act that bars the use of agricultural land for
non-agricultural use. Farmers and residents of Chambi, Khatravari and Sudernagar have protested against the setting up of the plant. They have formed the Sangharsh Samiti to voice their opinion. Sundernagar has the state’s oldest Sanskrit college besides a degree college, an engineering college, a polytechnic, a polytechnic for handicapped and a dozen of vocational private technical institutes, directorate of technical education and schools. This is also is the hub of poly-houses and green houses. “Setting up of plant will be suicidal for this ‘knowledge hub’ of the central zone,” says T.L. Vaidya, a retired government officer. The few local politicians and businessmen are luring people with big money, in terms of trucks, jobs, land compensation and other benefits to support the venture. When chief minister Virbhadra Singh was asked about this, he said that the matter was under consideration. “The site for the plant was decided during the BJP regime. Still we are considering all pros and cons in the matter,” he said. The health hazards for residents are many. “The cement kilns are emitters of mercury and carbon dioxide. Mercury is neurotoxin, it causes developmental problems in young and unborn children,” studies have revealed. The plant will also destroy watersheds of area, which will affect the neighbouring Bandli wildlife, nature awareness centre of Tamrari. In a benchmark study on cement plants, the Centre of Scientific Environment, New Delhi, has censured the cement plants for emitting the carbon dioxide in the country, including Himachal Pradesh. “The cement industry is not sustainable, more so in Himachal, as 44 per cent of mines are located in the eco-sensitive zones in the state. They practice poor mining practice in the absence of poor mining regulations”, CSE studies reveal. The central Environment and Forests Ministry, allegedly under pressure from the powerful “limestone lobby”, has relaxed the area of Bandli sanctuary by 2.5 km to make way for the plant, a repeat of the Darlaghat wildlife sanctuary in Solan district where Ambuja cement plant has been set up. The mining sites of the plant will be located in the upper reaches of Chambi-Khatarvari range, which is close to the Bandli wildlife sanctuary— home to leopards, birds, porcupines, sambar and trees, herbs and plants. The stone crushers and mining activity will scare away animals. But, the company in its bid to lure the local residents claims that the cement plant will create 1000 jobs, an indirect employment to over 10,000 persons. “The company will employ the bag filter technology to arrest the release of dust particles into atmosphere and will take the crushed limestone in conveyor belts to minimise emissions,” it clarifies.
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Spring of fertility
“Those who can’t visit Haridwar, pay obeisance here. A pilgrimage to all dhams like Kailash, Gangotri, etc. remains incomplete until one visits Markand,” informed Sanjeev Gupta. Steeped in mythology, the area abounds in ancient temples and natural springs. Legend has it that rishi Vyas (who lived in Bilaspur’s Vyas Gufa) and child saint Markandeya visited each other’s caves through a subterranean tunnel connecting them. Rishi Vyas also bathed in springs in a cave lying on hill atop Markand mandir. Pandit Jagat Pal said Markandeya’s parents (Markendu and Manasvi) did not beget children. Markendu did great austerities here to please gods to grant him a son. He asked Lord Shiva for this, who ordained that he will have an extraordinarily intelligent son but he will be short-lived. When Markendu’s prayers were rewarded, a spring also gushed forth. A deeply religious child, Markandeya performed tremendous penance to delve into mysteries unknown to man like seeking cures through orisons. When he was only 12 years old, Yamraj, the Lord of Death, tied child rishi Markandeya with a rope to take him away. But he embraced a Shivling whereupon Lord Shiva appeared. Then “Bal rishi Markandeya amar ho gaye aur phir Yamraj bhi pachhtaye,” is how the pujari describes. Since then, a dip in spring waters here is believed to ensure fertility and also cure infant diseases. Tradition makes pahari brides and grooms flock here for a pre-nuptial bath in waters of two natural springs. The temple’s pillars are immersed in spring waters, which also flow abundantly into fields. During Raja Jagat Chand’s reign, saint Bhajan Dass constructed a temple here. Blessed with a son, Raja Anand Chand’s mother also built a thakurdwara. Brides and grooms are also advised to visit temples of Krishna, Indra, Aruni and Mahodini that lie in close vicinity. Apart from ritual baths, wishes are also fulfilled. When asking for a boon, a devotee puts kajal in one eye, other eye being kohl-lined, after its fulfillment. A night fair is held annually at Baisakhi. A serai opposite the Markand temple accommodates devotees. Earlier, Rani Nagar Devi had built inns. Now this place is being linked to the legendary Sarasvati river. Dr Puri, a glaciologist with Geological Survey of India says, “The Vedic Sarasvati catchment was reduced by 94.5 per cent and is now restricted to that of the Markand temple area.’ Indeed, the past continues to echo at Markand
Makri.
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They pay for milk, get urea
The
sale of synthetic milk has reportedly been going on unchecked in the Sirmour district. The illegal trade has been thriving unabated at the cost of the health of the masses, who are left with little choice of switching over to another alternate from this spurious produce dominating the market.
The health authorities have failed to raid the defaulters. “They should collect samples through random checks to determine its purity,” says an official of the Health Department. Sources say the synthetic milk is being prepared in the rural areas using urea, detergents and certain chemicals, which are hazardous for health. It is being sold for Rs 13 per litre as against the pure milk, which is sold at Rs 19 per litre. Investigations made by The Tribune team has reveled at Paonta Sahib no district health officials from Nahan had come to carry out raids or collect samples for the past two years. “We can not easily meet the demand of the people here. However, we manage to supply by purchasing synthetic milk since we have to prepare milk products like cheese, cake, dahi, khoya and sweets, said K. Rathore who runs a sweet shop at Rajgarh. During festivals and festivities at this town we have to get sweets in bulks from Naraingarh and Ambala, says owner of Saini Sweets. He adds getting pure milk is almost impossible, as one never knows the source. K.B. Srivastava, District Health Officer, said, “I do not visit the market as I am not authorised to conduct raids. Devender Oberoi, Chief Medical Officer was not available for comments.
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Bridge set to reopen
The
Dharampur - Subathu road is set to be re-opened for movement of light vehicular traffic after conducting minor repair works at the bridge near the Dharampur railway station. The decision was taken after Rajesh Kumar deputy commissioner Solan, Congress MLA Raghu Raj and PWD officials inspected the bridge recently.
The Railways had closed the road for movement of heavy vehicles a month back. Later movement of light vehicles was also prohibited to protect the tunnel from further damage. The ban was imposed after the Railway authorities informed the administration about the deteriorating condition of the tunnel three months back. The administration failed to take notice of the matter earlier. Meanwhile, DC Rajesh Kumar has informed that an amount of Rs 10 lakh had been paid to the Railways for repair of the bridge. The Railways had assured to reopen the bridge in a week’s time, says the DC. The PWD is also trying to construct a valley bridge to open the road for heavy vehicular traffic, he said.
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Vidya Upasaks want to be regularised
Over
six thousand teachers recruited as vidya upasaks by the previous BJP government have accused the state government of an indifferent attitude towards them. In a communication sent to the state government by the Vidya Upasak Union, these teachers have expressed deep anguish for being denied even the minimum wages and have demanded that their services must be regularised.
The previous BJP government headed by Prem Kumar Dhumal had recruited these teachers called vidya upasaks at a salary of two thousand rupees to teach the primary class students in place of the regular primary teachers. Davender Kewla, state president of Himachal Pradesh Primary Teachers Union, however, says the chief minister had assured the union to formulate a policy to regularise the services of the teachers who had completed five years of service. He further said that CM had also agreed to increase their salaries equal to the basic pay of the regular primary teachers along with a fifty per cent DA. Putting them under their services under the panchayats and not the Education Department, under which the primary schools in which they teach function, made things worse for them. Union leaders also accuse the government for not regularising thousands of these teachers over the past five years. Compared to Rs 75 per day paid to a labourer, under the Minimum Wages Act, the vidya upasaks were paid only Rs 67 per day. In a resolution forwarded to the CM, these teachers have also demanded formulation of a policy for their regularisation and paying them salaries at par with the primary teachers engaged on a contractual basis. Expressing deep concern over the matter, Kumari Shyama Sharma, former minister and senior BJP leader, has demanded the services of these teachers must be regularised immediately.
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Pre-poll tension mars budget session
Elections
to the state Assembly are due in February 2008 but the tension of the poll-year was already visible on the faces of the legislators during the ongoing Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha.
The first and foremost thing they did was to change the time for the start of the session on Mondays from 11 am to 2 pm. The reason is that they find it difficult to return to state capital from their constituencies in the morning. Obviously, they are keen to spend maximum time interacting with the electorate who hold the key to their political future. The impact of winds of political change blowing in the neighbouring state of Punjab and Uttrakhand was also discernible. The BJP members were in an upbeat mood, while those of the Congress looked somewhat subdued. However, the leaders of the rival parties extended their own logic to scoring points in the game of political one-upmanship. The BJP members led by P. K. Dhumal termed the defeat of the Congress in the two states as a precursor for the ensuing poll in the hill state. However, Virbhadra Singh, the chief minister, maintained that one year was a long period in politics and cited the example Gujarat poll which preceded the 2003 Assembly elections in the state. The BJP registered a massive victory in December 2002, which made partymen see a future Prime Minister in Narinder Modi. However, two months later the Congress humbled it in Himachal securing a two-thirds majority. The BJP euphoria is momentary. The ground realities of Himachal are different and there were no parallels with Punjab and Uttrakhand, he asserted. But quoting the survey conducted by India Today, which rated Himachal high in governance, education and health, as a certificate of good performance of by Rangila Ram Rao, the excise and taxation minister, boomeranged for the ruling party. The state BJP chief, Jai Ram Thakur, was quick to point out that the same survey had put the performance of Amarinder Singh regime in Punjab on top. The fate of the Virbhadra Singh government, which was ranked lower could be no different, he quipped. The changing political scenario is also having a bearing on the internal dissensions in the ruling party. Maj Vijay Mankotia, who had openly revolted against Virbhadra Singh, appeared a changed man as he also had words of appreciation for the government. Veteran leader Mr Sat Mahajan, who has been having a love-hate relationship with Virbhadra Singh, showered accolades on the chief minister as never before. He even declared that the under dynamic leadership Virbhadra Singh, the Congress would emerge victorious in the Assembly poll and he would become the chief minister for the sixth time. He said he had been fighting with Virbhadra Singh for the past 13 years but now he was all for him. Virbhadra Singh set up record of sorts by presenting the 15th Budget of the state. The economic survey presented by him in the house painted a rosy picture with the state set to achieve a growth rate of 9.3 per cent, a notch higher than the national growth rate.
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