Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 16: J&K Handicapped Association today staged a protest demonstration against J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB) for allegedly harassing aspirants with disabilities.
Addressing protesters Association president, Abdul Rashid Bhat said, JKSSB and all District Medical Boards of J&K are insensitive regarding provision of horizontal reservation.
“JKSSB and District Medical Boards are not considering Supreme Court directions to not count open merit holders in reserved quota of persons with disabilities,” he said adding that invigilators and staff at examination centres lack knowhow to accommodate persons with disabilities and provide scribe facility and extra-time to such candidates.
“They feel every aspirant with disability should get order from main JKSSB office while JKSSB Performa clearly states that signature from hospital is sufficient,” he maintained adding that aspirants with disabilities needs to be given four per cent reservation as per jobs identified and jobs not identified should be carried forward with intention that next year such jobs should be served in the pending category.
Bhat also said that JKSSB has no concrete mechanism to stop fake disability certificate holders in grabbing jobs meant for disability quota.
“Whosoever applies with fake disability certificate in JKSSB gets a job victimising the deserving disable persons,” he further said adding: “There are many case wherein persons applying under visual disability drives bike and similar is the case with disability regarding hearing problem and JKSSB ignores such things.”
The Association leader also claimed that Medical Boards issue disability certificates to non-disable persons which harm the rights of persons with disabilities.
“Medical Boards lack specialists and referrals are made to other hospitals where wrong doings take place,” he said adding that insensitivity of doctors in medical boards came to fore when a child died at the gate of Srinagar Medical Board.
The Association requested the LG to intervene into the matter without any delay else disable people will come on roads.