Protests by people with loco disabilities 'illegal': NFB

The National Federation of the Blind has claimed in a letter to the railway minister that protests by a group of people with locomotor disabilities demanding jobs was illegal as it encroached upon the rights of other disabilities.

Recently, a group of differently-abled people claiming to be aspirants of railway jobs held protests demanding jobs from the national transporter.

S K Rungta, the general secretary of the the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), in a statement claimed the demand of the group, mainly suffering from locomotor disabilities was "illegal".

A section of locomotor disabled persons have been staging a protest at Mandi House to "exert undue pressure" on the Railways Ministry to accede to their "illegal demand" of giving them appointment in excess of one per cent vacancies reserved for them, by curtailing similar reservation admissible and given to other disabilities, including visually impaired persons in respective zonal railways, said Rungta.

"Such a demand is not only illegal but encroaches upon the rights of other disabilities, including visually impaired," he claimed.

Rungta in a letter to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal also expressed gratitude for providing jobs to the disabled.

A delegation of the organisation met Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi. He said that the Indian Railways remains committed to the "welfare of Divyangjans".

Meanwhile, the Railway Ministry on Tuesday held an event here to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities and emphasised that right to equal opportunities for all citizens is enshrined in the Constitution.