Shimla: Protest by Visually Impaired Union Outside Secretariat, Traffic Disrupted Over Backlog Recruitment Demand

Shimla, April 21: Members of an organization representing the visually impaired staged a road blockade outside the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat on Monday, bringing traffic to a halt in the Chhota Shimla area for a brief period. The protestors are demanding that the state government immediately fill the long-pending backlog of reserved job vacancies for persons with visual disabilities.

The union, which has been sitting on a continuous protest for the past 548 days, expressed deep disappointment with the government’s inaction despite multiple rounds of discussions.

“Endless promises, no action”

Rajesh Thakur, president of the Visually Impaired Union, said, “We’ve had several meetings with the government, but all we’ve received are empty assurances. No substantial recruitment has taken place under the disability quota since 1995, despite clear directives from the Supreme Court.”

The protestors also demanded the resignation of Kiran Bhadana, Director of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, accusing her of presenting misleading data and mistreating members of the visually impaired community.

The union warned that unless the backlog vacancies are filled and accountability is ensured within the department, the agitation will continue. They also threatened to scale up the protest into a state-wide movement if their demands are not met promptly.

Meanwhile, traffic in parts of Chhota Shimla remained disrupted for some time due to the blockade. Police and administrative officials arrived at the scene and managed the situation. The protest, however, remained peaceful throughout.