Shimla: The long-standing protest by unemployed visually impaired persons in Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla intensified once again on Tuesday.
After over 500 days of continuous struggle, members of the Drishtibadhit Sangh (visually impaired association) staged a road blockade near the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat in Chhota Shimla, bringing traffic to a standstill in the area.
The protesters sat in the middle of the road, raising slogans against the state government, accusing it of ignoring their legitimate demands. Traffic movement was severely disrupted, with only one-way flow being allowed on certain routes due to the blockade.
The protest comes in response to the government’s failure to initiate any action despite earlier assurances. On April 21, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil had promised a meeting between the visually impaired representatives and the Chief Secretary by May 15 to address their grievances. However, with no meeting or response from the administration, protesters resumed the road blockade.
Shobhu Ram, president of the Drishtibadhit Sangh, accused the government of neglecting their demands. “We have been protesting near the Kalibari temple for 581 days and since March 27, we have been sitting in protest near the Secretariat at the Chhota Shimla bus stop. The government has done nothing,” he said.
Rajesh Thakur, the association’s general secretary, said their primary demand was the immediate filling of backlog vacancies reserved for visually impaired candidates across various departments.
TNR
