Interpreters sought for hearing impaired persons

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 28

This time, various proposals are being made by the Dist Administration regarding the Persons with Disabilities (PwD).

The district icon for PwD Vivek Joshi said: He has been making lists of the PwDs, whose ID cards have not made and he has been giving the names to the Election tehsildar.

Joshi has already given the list of around 60 persons and prepared another list of nearly 100 people whose voter ID cards are yet to be made.

The proposals have been made where the hearing-impaired candidates should be helped by the sign language interpreter and for this, sensitisation programme will be held and for visually-impaired persons, assistants should be there.

“As per the Act for the persons having disabilities, there is so much which must be done for them, having various disabilities during the elections,” said Joshi.

He said there were persons living at Rama Mandi area whose family members were suffering from various disabilities. “So, I have made sure that I will help them by applying their names for Voter ID cards,” he added.

“No one should be devoid of the right to vote, be it anyone and I, along with Amarjit Singh Anand and Mona Goyal, who have also been working for the cause, are making sure that we will provide every right to the PWDs,” said Joshi.

Pick and drop service Divisional Commissioner-cum-Accessibility Observer, Jalandhar, B Purushartha today said “The administration will provide pick and drop facility for the PwD voters.”

Addressing the gathering during a special awareness camp organised for the PwD voters here at the St Soldier Law College, the Divisional Commissioner, accompanied by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jalandhar Varinder Kumar Sharma, said: “In order to encourage the PwD voters to cast their votes at respective booths, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken this decision.”

He said to avail this facility the PwD voters can either apply by downloading the PwD app on their mobile phones or apply through their respective Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

Purshartha called upon the PwD voters to avail the benefit of the facility and participate in the electoral process.

The Divisional Commissioner said the ECI was committed to ensure the participation of PwD voters in the democratic process, adding that every effort would be made to facilitate the PwD voters.

Purushartha said the administration would prepare an elaborate movement and facility plan for the PwD voters, adding that ramps, wheelchairs and other facilities would be provided at the polling booths.

Varinder Kumar Sharma, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Jalandhar, said there were around 9,000 PwD voters across the district and the administration was duty-bound to make special arrangements to facilitate them.

The DC said the district administration would ensure the provision of wheelchairs, ramps, helpers and others at all 1,863 booths during the polling day on May 19.