Petition file for homeless disabled missing

Guwahati, Sep 27 (UNI) The disabled homeless wanderers in Asom not only have a shelter over their heads missing, but also the file with their petition for a home is also missing from the court.

Shishu Sarothi, a centre for rehabilitation and training for multiple disability in the city, had filed a petition in Gauhati High Court to safe-guard the interests of the disabled without homes. But the file with the petition has gone missing.

Assistant project coordinator of the Disability Law Unit (DLU), North East, of Shishu Sarothi Anju Talukdar told UNI that the petition was yet to come up for hearing as the file could not be found.

She said, '' We had filed the petition on August 18 and it should have been put for hearing within a week. But the file cannot be found now and the petition is yet to be listed.'' Ms Talukdar said the DLU had appealed for some sort of government protection for the disabled people living on the streets. '' Such people live mostly by begging on the city streets. However, in the absence of any shelter, they are transferred from one location to another by the authorities on various pleas,'' she added.

She maintained that a permanent government-sponsored home for such disabled people would be the best solution.

She said, ''The government could allot land and help with the building of the house. NGOs could be approached for taking care of the inmates.

Ms Talukdar pointed out that Delhi had such provisions for homeless disabled people.

On the issue of rights of the disabled people, she informed that the DLU had 45 lawyers on its network.

'' We also impart training to government officials on a regular basis regarding special provisions in the law for the disabled,'' she added.

Ms Talukdar informed that the DLU would be conducting such a training course for the North east Judicial Training Institute shortly.

The Shishu Sarothi has partners in the other NE states, including Sikkim, and was focusing on rights-based approach for people with disabilities.

UNI SG KK PR RS0903