BETTIAH, June 12 -- The Bettiah Raj Karmchaari Sangh has demanded salary and service benefits parity with Bihar government employees under the recommendations of the seventh pay commission, officials said. This comes after the state initiated the process of taking over Bettiah Raj properties through a legislation aimed at utilising the assets for public welfare. "The salary of Bettiah Raj staff members is so poor that they feel a sense of inferiority complex. Moreover, the payment is too meagre to sustain one's family and as a result the possibility of its impact on their work performance cannot be ruled out," reads a letter addressed to West Champaran district magistrate Taranjot Singh by Pramod Vyas, president of the organisation. Vyas told the Hindustan Times that the remuneration paid to the temple and other staff members are "grossly inadequate" and made it difficult for them to make ends meet. He further said that the temple employee should not be treated with liabilities in the state government's future scheme of things. "While Bihar government employees are beneficiaries of 7th pay commission, the third grade employees' salaries range from Rs.13,000 to Rs.25,000. These apart, there are staff members of Bettiah Raj called priests, assistant priests and tahalus who are getting a meagre Rs.900, Rs.600 and Rs.600 respectively per month," he said. Bettiah Raj, one of the biggest principalities in Bihar, is spread over West Champaran, Chhapra, East Champaran, Patna, Siwan and Gopalganj districts of Bihar, besides eight districts of UP before they were vested with Bihar government....