Blind persons lock up DEO office

By Our Staff Reporter

CUDDAPAH, NOV. 13. A large number of blind persons sent the office staff out and locked up the District Educational Officer, Dr. M. Mohan Reddy's office here on Monday and picketed it for more than seven hours from 11 a.m. alleging irregularities in appointment of handicapped persons as teachers in the DSC 2000. Earlier, the visually handicapped persons belonging to four associations took out a protest rally from the National Federation of the Blind office at Sankarapuram to the Collectorate and apprised the District Collector, Mr. Adhar Sinha, of the injustice meted out to them in District Selection Committee appointments. As the Collector said he was not concerned with the appointments and advised them to discuss the matter with the DEO, they went in procession to the DEO's office, said the NFB's southern zone secretary, Mr. B. Chinnaiah.

More than 100 blind persons questioned the DEO alleging irregularities in appointment of visually handicapped candidates. The A.P. Federation of Blind president, Mr. Venkatasubbaiah, and the general secretary, Mr. Ramanjaneyulu, A.P. State Royal Association for Blind president, Mr. A. Kondaiah and general secretary, Mr. Sambasivaiah, A.P. State Blind Unemployed Union general secretary, Mr. K. V. Chalapathi, Independent Students Organisation convener, Mr. G. Munaiah, and NFB southern zone secretary, Mr. B. Chinnaiah, led the protest.

The Government notified 485 posts of secondary grade Telugu teacher in July and these included 75 posts reserved for the orthopaedically handicapped, deaf and dumb persons and visually handicapped categories. Of the 75 posts earmarked for the disabled, 51 were meant under general category and 24 for women. Of these, only 14 posts were filled in physically handicapped general category and 27 women were appointed.

They demanded the DEO to explain as to why 37 posts were left unfilled despite the availability of candidates and removal of cut-off marks for DSC appointments this year. Moreover, 112 SGT (Telugu) posts were announced in municipalities in the district and hence the posts reserved for physically handicapped went up further. Refuting the DEO's claim that 14 posts of handicapped persons had been pending in court since 1998, they asserted that none of the physically handicapped persons' cases was pending in courts.

Non-implementation of G.O. No.115 issued on July 30, 1991, which reserved 1 per cent of teacher posts each for the three categories of disabled, was alleged. As per the G.O., 25 blind persons had to be appointed through the DSC this year, but only one blind person was appointed, nine ought to have been blind women, they said.

They demanded the DEO to give a written explanation for not implementing the G.O. of 1991. The DEO said the appointments were made following the instructions given by higher-ups, gave them a slip and left the office.Subsequently, they sent away all the staff and put up a lock on the main door of the office.

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Section  : Southern States
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