Rajya Sabha MPS concerned over eviction blind students in Delhi

New Delhi: Members in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday expressed concern over the forcible eviction of some blind students by the Delhi Development Authority, with the Centre saying the affected persons were rehabilitated in an adjoining school.

BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra raised the issue during the Question Hour, to which Urban Development minister Hardeep Singh Puri said four blind students were allegedly displaced during an antiencroachment drive.

The students were rehabilitated in an adjoining school, the minister said. He, however, added that some persons had tried to use the issue of the blind students as “a ruse to lay claim to the property”.

Responding to other concerns of the members, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar said the government was sensitive to the cause of empowerment of the differently-abled.

He said there was a backlog to the tune of 15,694 posts for them, which was brought down to about 1,000 by the government and work was on to fill up these jobs as well.

He said that the response was important and cited the example of the West Bengal government to say that it had not submitted a proposal for a key scheme for the disabled, whereas several other states had.

Gurjar also said that work was on to make 700 railway stations obstruction free for the movement of different abled. The government was also working on a universal I-card for the differently abled.

The students were rehabilitated in an adjoining school, the minister said. He, however, added that some persons had tried to use the issue of the blind students as “a ruse to lay claim to the property”.