Blind youth, who have been on strike for 918 days in Shimla for the last 918 days, demonstrated outside the Secretariat on Tuesday. During this time, disabled people gathered in large numbers and raised slogans against the government and also had a scuffle with the police force. Rajesh Thakur, who is leading the protest, said that their main demand is to fill the vacant backlog posts of disabled people outright under the special recruitment drive. He alleged that the government is continuously ignoring their demands, due to which the future of about 1500 disabled people of the state is uncertain. The meeting could not be held with the Chief Minister. Rajesh Thakur accused the government and administration of breaking their promises. He told that on April 6, the disabled had marched towards the Chief Minister’s residence ‘Oak Over’, where they were assured of a meeting with the Chief Minister. However, attempts to contact the principal secretary on April 7 failed and received no response. The protesters said that at present the Chief Minister is not present in Shimla. He says that the government does not have time to listen to the problems of the disabled. If the demands are not met, there will be a strong protest. Rajesh Thakur said, ‘We are demanding our rights given by the Constitution, but the government is forcing us to protest on the streets. Even the old facilities have been taken away from us. The blind association has given an ultimatum to the government. He warned that if he does not get written assurance of a meeting with the Chief Minister today, the agitation will take a more violent form. They will surround the Chief Minister’s residence ‘Oak Over’ and as an immediate protest, there will be a demonstration outside the Secretariat with open shirts. After this, there will be a statewide siege and traffic jam of the Chief Minister’s residence ‘Oak Over’. The protesters also warned that in the next movement they would come with petrol bottles and lighters in their hands. The union says that the authorities have given up on this matter. Now only Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu can intervene and do good for the blind. He has demanded that when appointments are coming out in other departments, then why 1500 posts of disabled people have been stopped
Source link