Writes to Prez, threatens fast
Manjulata Panda (39), a research scholar and a visually-impaired woman, has threatened to hold a hunger strike from July 1 in front of the Directorate of PWDs (Person with Disabilities) here.
She said she would protest as injustice was meted out to her by the Higher Education Department and the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) in depriving her of a post of lecturer she had qualified for in an examination
in 2013. According to Manjulata, she is the first visually-impaired woman in the State who completed her PG and MPhil in Political Science and is now pursuing PhD under the Utkal University.
“I qualified for the post of junior lecturer in Political Science through a test conducted by the (OPSC) in 2013 and was the single candidate for the post reserved for PWDs. But my candidature was rejected on the ground that I belong to unreserved’ category,” fumed Manjulata.
Meanwhile, Odisha Disabled People’s Network State coordinator Sannyas Kumar Behera came to the aid of Manjulata, alleging that the authorities virtually ‘sold’ away the post reserved for PWDs to a non-disabled person violating the Persons With Disabilities, (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights, and Full Participation) Act, 1995.
Behera alleged that when the matter was brought to the notice of the State PWDs Commissioner, it asked the Higher Education Department to put its side. The Higher Education department argued that a post reserved for PWDs was filled in 2006 and one Niranjan Naik, a blind person, was appointed against the vacancy. As a result, in 2013, the post was converted to unreserved category.
Behera stated that the Higher Education officials misled the Commissioner as Niranjan Naik who at present is working as a lecturer at Bikaram Dev College, Jeypore was selected by the OPSC in 1997 and started his service in 1998 instead of 2006. Behera said though the Odisha Administration Tribunal had issued a stay order on the post and asked for a report within six months from the Higher Education Department, the latter was yet to comply
with it. “I have intimated the President of India about the illegality in a letter seeking justice. If I do not get justice by June last, I will hold an indefinite fast from July 1,” said Panda.