Association of disabled threatens rally to CM residence

Uttarakhand Disabled Empowerment Association (UDEA) said during a press conference here on Monday that a protest rally to the Chief Minister’s residence would be taken out on September 2 to vent anger against the State Government’s apathy towards the plight of the specially-abled people. Claiming that it would be a massive rally, they alleged that the State Government has been apathetic towards the rights of the disabled people. The State Government has done nothing for them, they said.                        

While talking to the media persons, the Director of the association Amit Dobhal said, “The Government has been neglecting the rights of the disabled people over the past five years thanks to which they have been suffering a lot.

“Even the Act of 2016 has not been implemented by the successive Governments in the State. The sad fact is that the disabled people are living a miserable life. The Government is callous to providing jobs to the disabled. They are not ensuring the empowerment of the disabled people. Even the meagre pension given by the Government to the disabled is not reaching them on time.

This is what has forced us to decide to take out the protest rally to the CM’s residence to draw the CM’s attention to our pathetic plight.” 

Another member of UDSA Anita Shashtri said, “The Government is focused exclusively on the uplift of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes. Even the interests of the general category people are being taken care of. But they are  ignoring us, the disabled people. We would not remain idle in this situation.” 

Apoorv Kumar Nautiyal, another member, said, “We are always given promises but they are not acted upon. We have protested several times earlier following which the Chief Minister promised something. But no step has been taken for its fulfilment. This clearly shows the apathy with which the officials deal us. This is most unfortunate.”