There is shortage of teachers in Uttarakhand and officially they can’t be attached to any other department or place of their convenience. Recently two Shiksha Mitra in Pithoragarh district have been ‘attached’ by the administration! On the one hand governments consider them ‘volunteers’ only to deprive them of their due wages and rights and are supposedly to be posted in their locality/village, on the other there is a ban in place for any such ‘attachment’ for even regular teachers in the state, but this has been done to grease hands of some well connected people to satisfy political biggies. There are talks of Uttarakhand CM planning to contest Assembly election from this seat hence an ‘amicable’ atmosphere is being created. While demanding cancellation of the said order, CPIML’s Pithoragarh unit has also raised the issue of existing scarcity of teachers and of new appointments particularly in schools located in distant border areas.
The villages severely affected by natural calamity still awaiting relief and rehabilitation by the state government. Nothing substantial being done so far, the chief minister is making regular visits of the area for his electoral preparations and trying to woo dominant sections with various favours. Jagat Martolia, CPIML leader, has termed this as misappropriation of CM’s position and government funds. After a couple of years of the calamity even hill pathways are not repaired and water connections at many places are not restored. Compensation money for many affected people has not yet reached, but the government is busy in manipulating tenders to give contracts to its own people.
