Visually Impaired Workers Hired By Railways For Desk Jobs Made To Sweep Floors

A considerable number of visually-impaired employees are recruited under the Northern Railways Delhi Division. Though it can be considered as a positive move, but the reality puts light to some startling facts about these workers that they are employed in the sanitation department of the division, instead of been assigned desk jobs.

One of the visually-impaired employees, Ameen Khan has reported that he was recruited under disability quota for desk jobs but he was given the task of sweeping floors a week after joining work. Not only Ameen, but about 30 of such workers have reported that they have been forced by officials to sweep, lift garbage and clean sewage at the state-owned enterprise’s hospitals and residential colonies. In spite of having masters and B.Ed degrees and disability reservation, they are asked to do such jobs.

IndiaToday reports, that the railway officials have said that they have followed rulebook. “These employees were selected through the process of direct recruitment,” said Dimpy Garg, additional divisional railway manager (ADRM), Delhi. “At the division-level, recruitment can only be made for the post of sanitation workers. Accordingly, they have been placed in sanitation jobs. Placements have been made as per the rules framed by the railway board.”

Khan said that after a week of his appointment, he was issued another appointment letter asking him to join as ‘safaikarmi’, failing to to join his appointment will be considered cancelled.

Few of the employees like Khan also have to travel long distances to reach their workplaces. They claim that the works assigned to them are not only difficult,but also dangerous. The railways further escalate their woes by not providing them proper places to rest. Their request to shift the job have also been turned down by the authorities, MailToday reports.

However, Ameen Khan has decided to stand for his dignity and take on the authorities.

The Logical Indian condemns the actions of railway authority by using the visually-impaired employees for doing laborious jobs. The government should take a look into this matter and give visionless people a hope of doing work which are not that challenging for them.