SHILLONG, JAN 6: Parents of the differently-able children has demanded that the state election department must ensure that their children and those who are suffering from physical and mental disability do not face discrimination and must be provided with the facilities require to cast their votes in accordance with the 2005 Supreme Court ruling during the forthcoming Meghalaya assembly election.
Under the banner of Meghalaya Parents’ Association for Disabled (MEPAD), the parents want that the state election department must ensure ‘zero tolerance’ to discrimination against those suffering from disability in exercising their voting rights during the voting day.
MEPAD secretary Belbora Wankhar said, “We want the state election department to take steps to ensure zero tolerance to the discrimination being faced by people with disabilities particularly by the mentally challenged persons in exercising of their voting rights during the election in spirit of the National Voters’ Day.”
The National Voters’ Day is scheduled to be observed on January 25 which is just few week from the state assembly election. Wankhar felt the government must not reduce the National Voters’ Day to a show of ritualistic sympathy towards differently-able people but ensure compliance of the Supreme Court ruling in 2005 to provide easy access to the Person With Disability (PWD) during the voting day.
Meghalaya approximately has around 38,000 differently-able people, but how many of them are eligible voters are still not confirmed.
The Supreme Court 2005 ruling directs the election department for the construction of wooden ramps at polling stations to enable disabled persons to have an easy access to voting besides giving alternative numbers in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) in ‘Braille’ to enable visually impaired voters to feel the numbers and press on appropriate button to cast their votes.
Wankhar felt separate queues and special arrangements for persons with disability at polling stations with courteous polling personnel posted to provide necessary assistance to enable the PWDs to exercise their franchise with minimum inconvenience.
Wankhar also said that the election department must declare prizes to disabled persons under profound category under different type of disability holding the EPIC during the National Voters’ Day. –By Our Reporter
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