Enumerators With Disability Skip Survey in Bengaluru
Karnataka body seeks relief for 350 members citing access, mobility issues
Bengaluru: Enumerators with disability have their fingers crossed and wait for Monday, when a decision will be taken by officials concerned to exempt enumerators with disability from survey work or not. Meanwhile, the socio-economic and educational survey embarked upon by Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes began in Bengaluru on Saturday and enumerators with disability skipped the day-one of the survey. The survey will conclude on October 7.
State president of Karnataka Rajya Vikalachetanara Naukarara (Karnataka State Disabled Employees Association), Bengaluru Birappa Andagi Chilwadagi, told Deccan Chronicle a top bureaucrat of the State Government assured the members to exempt them from conducting socio-economic and educational survey and the bureaucrat asked the Association members to wait till Monday to get a favourable decision.
Since a couple of days, there has been constant pressure mounted by Karnataka Rajya Vikalachetanara Naukarara Sangha on officials concerned to get their demand conceded yielded the Association partial success, and some of the enumerators have been exempted from survey work. While the demand of Karnataka Rajya Vikalachetanara Naukarara (Karnataka State Disabled Employees Association), Bengaluru, is to exempt all 350 enumerators with disability from survey work.
The enumerators with disability demand that all disabled enumerators be exempted, considering “inconvenience’ to them in reaching households, especially residential buildings having multiple floors in Bengaluru.
“How can an enumerator with disability climb stairs to collect data,” questioned Birappa Andagi Chilawadagi, State president of Karnataka Rajya Vikalachetanara Naukarara (Karnataka State Disabled Employees Association), Bengaluru and wondered “How will a blind enumerator collect data and reach households easily?”
Birappa said the members of the Association questioned officials concerned on “How can an enumerator with disability climb stairs to gather data?” and the reply from the official concerned astonished Birappa. The official asked enumerators “to make residents come down to answer the queries.” Continuing, Birappa said, “It is unlikely that the residents would come down to answer queries.”
Repeated appeals by members of Karnataka Rajya Vikalachetanara Naukarara Sangha to officials concerned, including Chief Commissioner of Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Maheshwar Rao, went futile so far. On Saturday, the members of the Association tried to meet Bengaluru incharge and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in Bengaluru and the efforts to meet Shivakumar went in vain.
