Ayush slush
One feels sorry for the students of private Ayurveda colleges of the State who instead of getting engrossed in academics are forced to squat for days at the protest site near Parade Ground. It is shameful that their plight is being overlooked with a ruthless stoic indifference by political leadership and administrative machinery, the mandarin of which are not too far away from the protest site where the students are camping from last many days. The justified demand of the students is simple; they want that their colleges should adhere to the Uttarakhand High Court (HC) order on refund of fee that was steeply hiked by the all powerful administrators of these colleges by throwing all norms to waste-bin. Giving scant respect to the fee fixation committee formed on the orders of Supreme Court (SC), these colleges had hiked the fees by three to four times. On the appeal of the students, the HC quashed the hike and directed the colleges to refund the excess money they had pocketed illegally from the students. However, the management of these colleges some of whom are said to be owned by powerful leaders like the minister holding the portfolio pertaining to these colleges has refused to follow the order of the HC forcing the students to hit the path of agitation.
New stint
The appointment of a controversial yet exceedingly efficient officer as personal secretary of a high profile junior Minister in the Himalayan State has become a subject of gossip in the power corridors. This officer attained fame during the regime of the previous Congress Government while serving as an assistant to the powerful Cabinet Minister holding a lucrative portfolio. The grapevine was that the fellow was one point solution for the transfer and other miseries of the employees and officers of the department. Considering the infamy associated with the officer and the belief that the minister with whom he remains associated invariably bites dust in the electoral arena, the ministers of present Government were hesitant to include him in their team despite his extraordinary management skills. It is learnt that the better half of the young and energetic minister was instrumental in roping in the officer to manage the affairs of her husband.
Prosperous destitute
The officiating head of a Government medical college hospital situated in the State Capital always remains hassled by the stream of phone calls he receives from the high and mighty. These callers, many of whom are politicians, ask the officer to waive off the charges for some pathological or other diagnostic test conducted on some of their near and dear ones in the biggest government hospital of the State. In one such instance, a person donning an expensive attire and flaunting most advanced cell phone asked the hospital in-charge to charge nothing from him as he is close to a local politician who also is a legislator belonging to the ruling party. He immediately rang up the MLA who asked the officer for the largesse on his supporter. A shocked in charge tried to reason with the man that only very poor and destitute patients are entitled for such a benefit and that the hospital charges are very less when compared to the private labs but the fellow continued with his insistence. The officer, however,refused the favour which made the MLA known for his brusque behaviour, scold him over the phone.
