News

Volume 3 Issue 7 - April 01, 2005

U.D.S.P.A. threatens mass agitation

DNIS News Network - The government's lackadaisical attitude to filling backlog posts sparks protests in Guwahati.

On March 30, more than 200 physically disabled people in Guwahati stormed the office of the Directorate of the Employment Exchange (D.E.E.) in Rehabari to protest against the alleged violation of the assurances, as well as the action plan taken by the Social Welfare Department, for recruitment into backlog posts for disabled people. The United Disabled Sangram Parishad, Assam (U.D.S.P.A.), alleges that the D.E.E. has, on its own, issued call letters by fixing the date of interviews on April 4 for recruitment to the backlog posts lying vacant in the office, in clear violation of an earlier agreement.

An agreement had been reached between the Social Welfare Department and the U.D.S.P.A. last month, whereby it was decided that the 672 backlog posts lying vacant in 37 government departments since 1995 will be filled up by April; the whole recruitment process would be done under the Social Welfare Department itself, said Rahim Badsha Ahmed, general secretary of the U.D.S.P.A., while talking to The Sentinel . An action plan in this regard was also published by the Department, he said. However, the move taken by the D.E.E. is a clear violation of the agreement and the promises made by the government, Ahmed alleged. The physically disabled will thwart attempts such as this by any means, he asserted.

The U.D.S.P.A., an united platform of as many as half a dozen organisations of persons with disability, has threatened to undertake an agitation programme if the authorities concerned do not heed their demands. "The government will be solely responsible for any untoward incidents," it said. A memorandum in this regard was submitted to the Secretary of the Social Welfare Department.

“On March 31, about 100 people met D.E.E. officials and discussed the issue,” says Arman Ali, Assistant Project Coordinator, Disability Law Unit, Shishu Sarothi, Guwahati. “The Directorate finally agreed that it will not be involved in the process anymore. So the Social Welfare Department will soon issue call letters in line with the original action plan.”

For details, contact:
Rural Volunteers Centre, PO + Village Akajan, Via Silapathar,
District Dhemaji 787 059, Assam . India .
Mobile: 09435089275/09435089824;
Phone: 0091-3753-246306/246436;
Fax: 246353/245758 (if B.S.N.L. is functional);
E-mail: ruralvolunteerscentre@yahoo.co.in or rvcassam@gmail.com