Body rues Govt apathy to differently abled people
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, November 17 2022:
State Platform of Disabled People's Organisation (SPDPO) Manipur alleged that differently abled people are being neglected in the Sangai festival, which is one of the biggest government-funded festivals, by not allotting even one stall for them.
Informing that the organisation had earlier approached authority concerned for providing a stall for differently abled people, SPDPO Manipur president Md Yunus Khan, in a statement, lamented that dispute often arise whenever a stall for differently abled people is sought in every edition of the Sangai Festival.
This time too, a formal appeal was made to the Tourism Department by submitting a letter before one month, but the department has yet again failed to allot a stall for the differently abled people, he said, while adding that differently abled people have always been neglected in every edition of Sangai festival.
Yunus Khan also recalled the 2019 Sangai Festival incident wherein the stall for differently abled people provided by higher ups of Tourism Department was dismantled on the next day after setting up, thus leading to confrontation.
Later, the then social welfare minister arranged a stall and also inspected it.
Commerce and Industries director had also submitted a memo to the Tourism Department to refund the stall fee for the differently abled people.
However, the refund has not been made till date, the president pointed out.