Visually impaired to protest against govt on May 16

JALANDHAR: Members of the Blind Persons Association during a press conference, which was held here today announced to hold a protest in front of the office of the DPI on May 16 in Chandigarh against the state government for failing to fulfil their long-pending demands.

Members of the Blind Persons Association during a press meet in Jalandhar on Tuesday. Photo: Sarabjit Singh

Our Correspondent

Jalandhar, May 14

Members of the Blind Persons Association during a press conference, which was held here today announced to hold a protest in front of the office of the DPI on May 16 in Chandigarh against the state government for failing to fulfil their long-pending demands.

Chief advisor of the association, Ajay Thakur said on March 1 the Education Department had advertised 52 posts of Elementary Teacher Training (ETT).

“The department also mentioned in the advertisement that if there is on eligible visually-impaired candidate applied for the post, the same post will be given to the Orthopaedically disabled person, which is against the law,” he added.

He said: “It has never happened when a visually impaired person has got the benefit of the posts meant for orthopaedically disabled persons. Therefore, if no suitable visually impaired candidate for the post is found, the government will convert these posts into the music teachers post as it was done in 2016.”

The members said: “Besides, conversion of ETT posts to music teacher posts, the backlog of reserved posts in the government jobs meant for them have not been filled yet and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, has not been implemented in the state.”

Another member, Subhash Gupta said, in many other states, the visually impaired were being offered government jobs, while in the state the pleas of the visually impaired were being ignored.

He said institutes for the visually impaired being run in the state were in a dilapidated condition due to the paucity of funds. But the state government was not willing to take these centres in its hands.

“We have been raising our demands from various platforms but to no avail,” he added.

The members of the association said they had warned the government that in case the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh did not call them and not resolve these as soon as possible, they would resort to protest and may boycott the Congress government in the ensuing Lok Sabha poll.