Chennai: Exhausted by having to go and get a disability certificate from Stanley Government hospital every few months to prove his handicap, J. Ravichandran has decided to file a case against the Metropolitan Transport Corporation department, where he had been employed previously.
Ravichandran has worked for 30 years as a MTC bus conductor until 2010, when he met with an accident that left him handicapped in one leg.
Though he has submitted a disability certificate, MTC keeps demanding a disability certificate from Ravichandran every few months since 2012 to prove that he is incapable of working.
“The accident nearly cost my life, I had to have three rods put in my leg and was bedridden for eight months. After many months of physiotherapy I was finally able to walk slowly," he said. He pointed out that he was not given any help from MTC after the accident and had to stay at home for the first one and half years.
Subsequently, Ravichandran had filed a case against MTC for not granting him with a job and was then immediately given a job at the Oil Corporation.
“The authorities did not expect me to go to court but I did and they immediately decided to make a compromise by giving me another job. However, ever since then I got notices every few months demanding a disability certificate forcing me to run around the city," he added.
Ravichandran said after receiving the notice he is required to go to Stanley Government Hospital in Royapuram and go through a full check up and apply for a disability certificate. “The first two times I went and applied for the certificate. I expected the process would stop with that, but it went on and on. It is so difficult for me to keep going to the hospital so often. How can my disability change in a couple of months?” asked Ravichandran.
“I want to fight this out because I believe the procedure is unjust,” he said.
“There is also pressure from many unions to not file complaints against MTC but we cannot continue to suffer like this,” he said.
