Along with the issue of Ram temple,L K Advani made another lasting contribution to the countrys politics in the 1990s: the rath yatra. More than 15 years later,a bus coach factory and fabrication unit,situated around 30 km from Chandigarh,continues to provide politicians those much-needed wheels. JCBL in Lalru village has just finished building a campaign rath for BSP supremo Mayawati,and hopes to roll out one for Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda soon. In the past,JCBLs clients have included Advani himself,Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. Says a company representative: The basic structure is provided by the Swaraj Mazda mini-bus,which is then changed into a luxury bus. It is equipped with several facilities,including a hydraulic stage,which is basically a lift that goes to the top of the vehicle,allowing the leader to address large gatherings. It has a roof to guard him/her from sun and rain,and built-in speaker-cum-mike plus halogen lights to allow rallies even at night. The coach comprises two rooms. The first is a day room with a four-seater sofa that becomes a bed at night and the second is a bedroom. Besides this,there is a bathroom. The coach is centrally air-conditioned and also has a generator-based back-up. The refurbishing of a coach costs approximately Rs 16 lakh. Apart from most modern amenities,the coaches are also designed to cater to specific requirements of the leaders. For instance,in the recently fabricated coach for Mayawati,there were clear instructions for a pantry space with a microwave oven and a satellite connection for the LCD television. Hoodas preferences run along the same lines. Advani being an avid film watcher means the company had to provide him ample shelf space for DVDs and VCDs. Former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh only asked for his campaign vehicle to be bullet-proofed apart from some seat modifications. In fact,the idea of a hydraulic stage came about when Badal asked for an elevated platform without stairs during the 2002 Assembly elections,having fractured his hip bone after a fall. JCBL fabricates all kinds of special-application vehicles,including mobile homes,ambulances and mobile ATM vans. Employing around 500 people,it can make steel components,fibre-glass components as well as seats to cater to customer requirements.
