PM to visit Varanasi tomorrow, will meet agitating contract teachers

Varanasi, Sep 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his Lok Sabha constituency tomorrow--his third since assuming office--during which he is scheduled to launch schemes in power and road sectors and meet representatives of Uttar Pradesh's agitating contractual teachers.

Modi, who will be on a day-long visit, will also distribute cycle rickshaws and e-rickshaws to more than 600 people under the "Jan Dhan Yojana" scheme.

The SP government, however, voiced its objections today to distribution of cycle-rickshaws, saying such a move will promote the "inhuman practice" of pulling it.

It demanded that Modi cancel the decision to distribute cycle-rickshaws. The district administration announced that the prime minister will meet the representatives of 'shiksha mitras' (contractual teachers) during his visit.

Varanasi District Magistrate Rajmani Yadav and Senior Superintendent of Police Jogendra Kumar at a joint press conference appealed to the contractual teachers to maintain peace as their request to have an audience with the prime minister has been granted.

A delegation of six persons from the group can meet the Prime Minister tomorrow, they said, adding that a confirmation from the PMO regarding the meeting was received by the district administration yesterday.

"Tight security ar rangements have been made for PM’s visit and we are fully prepared to foil any such attempts from the agitating shiksha mitras that would lead to law and order crisis here," they said.

Apparently being upset over the cancellation of regularisation of their service following a recent judgement of the Allahabad High Court, the ad hoc teachers had threatened to stage a protest here, if they were denied an appointment with Modi.

Around 1.72 lakh shiksha mitras are on protest. One adhoc teacher allegedly committed suicide in Kannauj district on Sunday. The much-awaited visit comes nearly nine months after his previous trip on December 25 last year.

However, his proposed tours were cancelled twice recently because of heavy rainfall – on June 28 and on July 16.

Although the sky is overcast in many parts of eastern UP causing much consternation among those entrusted with organising the functions to be attended by Modi, the visit may go off unhindered this time since the monsoon has subsided and rainfall in the past few days has never been more than a drizzle lasting a few minutes.

The Prime Minister is likely to arrive at Babatpur airport on the outskirts of the city at around 1130 hours, from where he would reach the Cantonment area by a helicopter and distribute e-rickshaws, tricycles and benefits under "Jan Dhan Yojana" to more than 600 people.

Modi would thereafter reach a special helipad constructed inside the premises of Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) where he would inaugurate the BHU trauma centre through a remote control.

He will launch the ambitious Integrated Power Development Scheme, which aims at providing 24X7 electricity to people across the country and for which the Centre will be providing a budgetary support of about Rs 46,000 crore. Modi is also slated to address a public rally.

PTI