Persons with disability assigned poll duties

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 5

Despite Election Commission (EC) directions that differently abled persons should not be assigned poll duties, many persons with disability have been assigned duties.

Quoting the EC directions, they are running from pillar to post to get exemption from the election duty, but to no avail. They are forced to attend rehearsal for the election duty in the absence of any assistance.

Sandeep Arora, a government schoolteacher, who is wheelchair-ridden, has written to election officers in Faridkot and already made many rounds to get exemption, but to no avail.

Similar is the fate of his wife Neetu Gupta, who is also affected by polio.

“For the past one week, I have been making rounds of election offices on the second and third floor of the mini-secretariat here. But, they are just making lip service and no relief has been given to me,” said Sandeep.

Speaking to The Tribune, Gurjit Singh, Assistant Chief Election Officer, Faridkot, said, “We have exempted differently abled persons from the poll duty. We have not assigned them duties. If they provide handicapped certificates to my office, they will definitely be exempted. We will review and verify those cases before giving exemption.”

He said all such persons should contact the Returning Officers (ROs) concerned.

Darshan Singh, principal, Government Senior Secondary School at Machaki, who is also a physically challenged person, have been making rounds of the offices, but to no avail. Mandeep Singh, Paramjit Singh and Hardev Singh were also forced to attend rehearsal at the auditorium of Guru Gobind Singh Medical College here on Sunday in the absence of any assistance.