Differently abled Persons Barge into Rayagada Collectorate: Resist Misbehaviour of DSSO Staff

Badal Tah,Odishabarta

Rayagada, May 16: Hundreds of differently abled persons assembled before Rayagada Collector’s office & staged dharna in front of the main gate to resist misbehaviour of clerical staff in the office of District Social Security Officer(DSSO), Rayagada. 

According to Sri Santosh Mahapatra, Organising Secretary of Odisha Vikalanga Mancha(OVM)-Rayagada Unit & Rayagada Bhinnakhyama Mahasangha(RBMS), when the persons with disabilities(PWDs), who are generally ultra poor, go to the office of DSSO at Rayagada, they are misbehaved by the junior staff of the said office even in front of DSSO Surendra Gomango. “When some of the members of Maa Kulabandha Kolnara Block Bhinnakhyama Mahasangha(MKKBBM) went to DSSO office again & again to request for No Objection Certificate(NOC) needed to register it in District Registrar’s office, they were misbehaved by the junior staff and told that NOC will not be issued citing no reason. This is just one example.

We get such differential treatment in the office, which is specifically meant for the PWDs”, rued Santosh Mahapatra, President of MKKBBM.

“We are time & again neglected in DSSO office and had to resort to this ultimate action of gheraoing this office in a peaceful manner even in the scorching heat. Divyang women & children are are also part of today’s resistance.

We don’t ask them anything extra expect our rights due to us. If the officials can not respect us, let them lot disrespect us. We demand that both the staff members in DSSO office must apologise the Divyang community publicly before the media. he must issue NOC to MKKBBM with immediate effect. It is a shame that we even have to struggle to put forth such trivial issues”, said Sri Jalandhar Bacheli, General Secretary of OVM-Rayagada & RBMS.

“While the Prime Minister of this country respects the PWDs by addressing them Divyangs, the public servants are disrespecting them. They must not forget that they get hefty salaries from taxpers’ money to serve these unprivileged  persons”, said Sri Satya Narayan Gantayat, a Divyang himself & a noted laureate of the district. Sri Rakesh Himirika, a blind himself & President of OVM-Rayagada & RBMS is sheerly anguished. “If the officials can not give service, let them leave their job and some sensitive persons be replaced with the non-responsive staff. If this trend continues, we will flock in thousands from each nook & corner of the district and take this campaign to state level and other fora”, said Himirika.

 
The PWDs sat in front of the Collectorate for hours amidst burning sun. Though DSSO Gomango came to the place where the Divyangs were resisting, his discussion with the strikers did not yield any result.

A few media persons & police requested the ADM to intervene. Additional District Magistrate(ADM) Sri Dharmanada Behera reached the spot, discussed with the Divyangs & assured the gathering to look into the matter at their earliest,one of the staff members arrived at the venue and apologised. ADM Behera also instructed the DSSO to issue the NOC with immediate effect. After this, the Divyangs closed their resistance.