Karnataka - Belgaum   

Redress grievances of disabled, Government urged

Staff Correspondent

`Observing World Blinds' Day is just a ritual'

Belgaum: As the Governments observed World Blinds' Day on Sunday, city based Belgaum District Association for the Blind said it the occasion was just another Government "ritual".

Addressing presspersons on the occasion here on Sunday, the association's honorary president and former District Judge Jinadatt Desai said that though the State Government was aware of the difficulties of blind people and organisations working for their education and rehabilitation, it had not redressed their grievances for over a decade.

Citing the case of two English medium teachers and two other staff members of the Maheshwari School for the Blind, run by the association for the past 26 years, he said the Government denied them their post-retirement benefits.

He said the Government was not interested in the welfare of the visually challenged people.

This was evident from the large number of backlog posts, which continue to remain vacant.

He urged the Government to appoint visually challenged music teachers in all schools in the State. This would make them self-reliant and economically independent, he added.

He said the Government had provided Rs.150 as postal and telephone bills for the year 2003-04 to the school.

For the same year, the Government provided Rs. 500 towards electricity bill. These rates were fixed during 1982 and have remained the same irrespective of c hanges in tariff he said.

The school management had been pleading with the authorities concerned to repair the approach road to the school.

However the problem was not addressed, he added.

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