Decision to postpone felicitation event irks PWD coordinators

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, August 16

The eleventh-hour decision of the state government to postpone the felicitation of district coordinators appointed to facilitate the persons with disabilities (PwD) during the recently held Lok Sabha elections has not gone down well with them.

They had even received letters regarding appreciation certificates from Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh at the state-level Independence Day function held in Jalandhar but a day before it, on Wednesday evening, they were informed that their felicitation programme has been deferred.

Parveen Bansal, who runs an NGO Rahat Foundation and made coordinator for PwD in Bathinda district, said: “Though we had not worked for any honour from the state government, the move has definitely hurt us. The office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Punjab, first asked us to come to Jalandhar to get the appreciation certificates from the CM, but then the district administration told us that the programme has been changed and there was no need to go there. Similarly, the team coordinators had to be felicitated at the district-level I-Day functions but they, too, were not honored.”

A team coordinator, who was to be honored at the district-level Independence Day function, said: “I told my family members and friends that I will be honoured. Now, they are cracking jokes and I have no answer. The state government’s decision has left me embarrassed.”

As per the letter issued on August 9 by the CEO, Punjab, one state PwD co-ordinator, one joint PwD co-ordinator and 21 district PwD coordinators were to be honoured by the CM in Jalandhar.

Deputy Commissioner of Muktsar MK Aravind Kumar said: “We received a message to temporarily put on hold the felicitation programme of PwD coordinators. But I will have to check the reason behind the move.”

Sources said a separate programme would now be held to honour these persons in near future but the time has not been finalised yet. “The state government may also hold a scrutiny of the persons to be honored as it has received some complaints against few coordinators,” said sources.

Facilitated PWDs during LS elections

• District coordinators appointed to facilitate the persons with disabilities (PwD) during the recently held Lok Sabha elections were to be honoured. 
• The government had decided to honour one state PwD co-ordinator, one joint PwD co-ordinator and 21 district PwD coordinators.