NIP NGO explores voting rights of disabled

The panel discussion explored the new avenue for the disabled and to light the manifesto of different political parties in ensuing Lok Sabha Poll at the Rotary Sadan, here.

Political leaders from different political parties and representatives from different organization related to differently abled persons represented their valuable opinion on the discussion.

The discussion was attended by  Debasish Kumar, TMC; Pradip Bhattacharya, WBPCCI; Mudar Patherya, AAP; Mita Banerjee, Commissioner of Disability, Govt of W.B.; the representative of the Election Commission and many others.

The Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disability (CCPD) urged the Election Commission to ensure the accessibility of the polling booths.

The Election Commission has been supplying visually challenged voters with the list of candidates in serial numbers in Braille since 2009.

The EVMs are also marked with Braille numbers for the convenience of visually challenged voters.

NIP NGO noted that the election to the disabled voters is never of much importance. "Accessibility is a major problem, no doubt. But the greater problem is secrecy. In most cases, they are forced to take one of the polling officials inside the booth instead of their own escorts," said the NGO representatives.

"It is unfortunate that this community forms about more than 2 percent of the entire population, according to the Census 2011; yet they are hardly remembered by the political parties," the officials said.

This time the Parliamentary Election seems significant to the disabled voters as the new Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPD) bill is pending in the Rajya-Sabha and not yet tabled in the Lok Sabha.

It has become more significant when the disabled community demanded for more deliberation on the bill and the government wanted to get it passed before the election was declared.

Speaking about the event, Debajyoti Roy, Secretary, NIP, said, "The disabled persons want their voices to be heard when the bill is on the table. The parties must take into account the hopes and aspirations of the disabled voters. The objective of this programme is to review the situation of the disabled persons in the midst of the election process."