1,089-day protest: Visually impaired persons threaten Delhi march

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Agitators set to march to the national capital, seeking action on recruitment, pension and housing demands

Shimla: A visually impaired organisation protesting in Shimla for the past 1,089 days on Tuesday accused the Himachal Pradesh government of ignoring its demands and announced plans to march to Delhi if the state government failed to provide a written assurance on its issues.

The protesters staged a demonstration outside the state Secretariat in Shimla and raised slogans against the government. They said they had been agitating for nearly three years, but their demands remained unresolved despite repeated assurances.

The organisation has given the state government time until Tuesday afternoon to provide a written assurance on their demands. Without a concrete response, the protesters said they would leave for Delhi and demonstrate outside Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s residence.

Organisation member Rajesh Thakur said the visually impaired community had been forced to continue its agitation as the government had failed to address their concerns. He alleged that protesters had repeatedly received assurances, but no substantial action followed.

Thakur said the protesters would seek a meeting with Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and, if necessary, stage a protest outside his residence. They also plan to approach the Prime Minister and senior officials of the disability commission to raise their concerns over what they described as discriminatory treatment of persons with disabilities.

The protesters have demanded a special recruitment drive to fill vacant Class-IV posts with eligible persons with disabilities. They have also sought an increase in the monthly disability pension from Rs 1,700 to Rs 5,000.

Another key demand is the unconditional inclusion of persons with disabilities under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Chief Minister Awas Yojana and Below Poverty Line (BPL) category.

Thakur said the organisation had been raising these issues for nearly three years and urged the government to hold talks and find a solution. He said the agitation would continue until the government addressed their demands.