The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Disabled persons take to the streets

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Thursday, Mar 27, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Disabled persons take to the streets

Staff Reporter

They demand quality education, training for employment and equal opportunities

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

FIGHTING FOR RIGHTS: The disabled taking out a rally from Town Hall to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) head office demanding welfare measures in Bangalore on Wednesday.

BANGALORE: Braving scorching sun, more than 150 disabled persons, including a large number of children took to the streets on their wheelchairs, on Wednesday seeking equal and quality education, suitable training and employment to the physically-challenged.

Organised by the Bangalore Nagara Angavikalara Sanghatane in support of various demands, the disabled persons took out a rally from Town Hall to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) office where they submitted a memorandum to BBMP commissioner S. Subramanya.

The protest rally by the physically-challenged here coincides with the State-wide protests organised to place their demands.

A.L. Janardhan, sanghatane convenor, said the disabled were still out of the mainstream because of failure to implement the programmes meant for their welfare.

He said: “According to a 2004 Census, there are 91,000 physically-challenged persons in Bangalore City alone. However, the number of jobs provided to them in government offices is less than 1 per cent. Many of them who were trained under government schemes are still jobless.

It is surprising that the BBMP has no statistics of physically-challenged persons in Bangalore, while village panchayats have the figures.” Mr. Janardhan said the situation in schools and colleges for physically-challenged students was pathetic. Many of these schools did not even have toilets, he added.

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