Dehradun, June 28: Posting in the hills of Uttarachal will no longer be considered a punishment. In the face of pressure exerted by the government employees, particularly doctors and teachers, for avoiding a posting in the far-flung hilly areas of the state, chief minister N D Tiwari has said that their emoluments and other facilities will soon be increased.


"In our new policy, we are going to increase the pay structure of those employees, who get postings in the hills," Tiwari said last night while talking to students from Vivekanand Institute of Professional Studies (VIPS), New Delhi.

Tiwari's announcement came after the students visited the picturesque Chakrata Hills bordering Himachal Pradesh on an eco-tour and saw for themselves the condition of villages where government schools and hospitals are facing severe resource and employee crunch.

Tiwari admitted that employees try hard to avoid a posting in the hills as they consider it to be a punishment. "They (employees) only want to serve in the plains," he said. Stating that lack of good schools was a big problem for the employees, the chief minister said the government was considering setting up schools of its own.

He also said that schemes are being worked out with involvement of the world bank to solve the residential problem of the employees serving in the remote hilly areas.
Bureau Report