Disabled people to contest polls in Arunachal after being deprived

Guwahati, Jan 28 (UNI) The disabled people in Arunachal Pradesh are all set to take the political plunge in the next Assembly polls after being deprived of their rights repeatedly by the state government.

Tami Tamiang, an Arunachal-based activist for people with disabilities, today said that the disabled people were planning to put up candidates for all the Assembly constituencies of the state for the next assembly polls in 2009.

Speaking at the North East level regional workshop on 'Disability and Law: Issues and Challenges' here, organised by the Disability Law Unit-NE, he said ''unless there are people with disabilities at the top decision making positions, whether it be the political front or the bureaucracy, the disabled people can not hope to get their demands fulfilled.'' Another disabled people's rights activist of the state Sunil Mao, speaking on the condition of the disabled people said, the state had formed the committees after the act for the people with disabilities was passed by the Parliament. But the state coordination committee had met only once since it was constituted 10 years back, while the executive committee never sat since its formation.

He further said the state government started the process of identifying jobs for the disabled in 2006 only after a Court ruling directed it to do so.

Mr Mao blamed the insensitive attitude of the government, lack of coordination among the different agencies and government bodies and lack of resources for the disabled people being deprived even after an act of Parliament ensures them equal rights.

Of the 11 lakh population of Arunachal, 33,315 people are with disabilities as per the 2000 census. A community based report puts the figure at 72,908.

UNI