Hapless students, the visually-impaired block roads to be heard
Traffic remained blocked on the Canal Road for hours and Metro Bus operations were suspended
Traffic remained blocked on the Canal Road for hours and Metro Bus operations were suspended. PHOTO: EXPRESSS
LAHORE:
Traffic was blocked for hours by two groups of protesters on Monday along a segment of the Canal Road and the Metro Bus route along Ferozepur Road. The chief traffic police officer appointed two DSPs, four special squads, 14 patrolling officers and 116 traffic wardens to maintain smooth flow of traffic at the site of the protests and wardens set up diversions on roads and chowks leading to protest sites.
Scores of visually-impaired people from various districts of the Punjab had gathered at Kalma Chowk on Monday morning and staged a protest on the Metro Bus track. They were demanding the implementation of three per cent job quota for disabled people in the public sector.
Out on streets: Visually-impaired protest in DG Khan
The demonstrators shouted “sadda haq, ithay rakh” and “CM wa’da nibhao” among other slogans.
At around 2pm, a police contingent led by CCPO Amin Wains and DCO Muhammad Usman visited the protesters and held negotiations with a five-member committee. However, they failed to arrive at a compromise.
The protesters dispersed for a while but when they heard that the negotiations had not achieved much, they resumed their protest. This time, they blocked the Metro Bus track, Ferozepur Road, Barkat Market, Wahdat Road and the adjacent roads for traffic.
Heavy police contingents from nearing police stations arrived at the scene to maintain law and order.
The protesters had arrived from Jhang, Sialkot, Faisalabad and Gujranwala and gathered at the Kalma Chowk Metro Bus route at around 9am.
Riaz Ahmad, a graduate of the Al-Faisal Blind Centre in Faisalabad, said that he had been jobless for three years after completing his studies. He said that the government had promised them jobs but had not fulfilled the pledge.
Equal opportunity: Visually impaired protesters demand jobs
Muhammad Amir, a university graduate from Jhang, said most of them who had no regular jobs worked for daily wages at government offices. “At least we deserve contracts.”
Hafiz Muzammil, who was also a member of the negotiating committee, said there were more than 1,500 visually-impaired graduates in the Punjab. He said most of the seats in the 3 per cent job-quota specified by the government for the disabled were vacant. “Most of the jobs have been given to the physically impaired and the deaf.”
He said they were demanding jobs for all blind people in accordance with their qualification. “Those working for daily wages should be given contracts and those on contracts should be made permanent.”
Ishtiaq, another protester, said that the negotiations had failed because the DCO had refused to address their problems. “DCOs in various cities have raised hurdles for us…most of them simply refuse to meet us.”
Punjab Mass Transit Authority Operations Director Syed Uzair Shah told The Express Tribune that around 9am the Metro Bus staff had informed the control room that some protesters had blocked the bus track near Kalma Chowk. The authority had partially suspended bus operations near Kalma Chowk to avoid an untoward incident.
He said the authority had continued running busses between Gaddafi Stadium and Shadara and at around 1pm, the administration had managed to clear the Metro Bus track. The protesters had blocked the track again at around 4pm.
‘Solve accreditation issues’
Hundreds of students of the Bahauddin Zakariya University’s Lahore Campus gathered in front of the city campus in Garden Town and staged a sit-in on the Canal Road. The demonstration began at 9am and continued till 4pm. It ended following an assurance given by Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed.
Quota implementation : Visually-impaired protestors end demo over govt assurance
A 10-member delegation of students met the education minister. Mashhood said that they would receive degrees accredited by the BZU Multan. He promised that a written agreement would be prepared and shared with the students on Tuesday (today) and said that the issue would be solved in a month.
Mohsin Zia, one of the protesters, said that the provincial government had assured them that their time and money would not go to waste. “It has been three months and no decision has been taken.” He said the government had placed the future of more than 5,000 students of the varsity in a lurch.
He said many teachers had quit and only a few remained. “This is affecting our studies…we have received no intimation about a solution. Whenever we block the road, we get an assurance from the government but no decisions are taken.”
The students were of the view that the government and the campus management were on the same page, while the students had to fend for themselves.
They said that they had paid the university more than one would for a public university. “We will not let the campus be converted to a college now.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2016.
Traffic was blocked for hours by two groups of protesters on Monday along a segment of the Canal Road and the Metro Bus route along Ferozepur Road. The chief traffic police officer appointed two DSPs, four special squads, 14 patrolling officers and 116 traffic wardens to maintain smooth flow of traffic at the site of the protests and wardens set up diversions on roads and chowks leading to protest sites.
Scores of visually-impaired people from various districts of the Punjab had gathered at Kalma Chowk on Monday morning and staged a protest on the Metro Bus track. They were demanding the implementation of three per cent job quota for disabled people in the public sector.
Out on streets: Visually-impaired protest in DG Khan
The demonstrators shouted “sadda haq, ithay rakh” and “CM wa’da nibhao” among other slogans.
At around 2pm, a police contingent led by CCPO Amin Wains and DCO Muhammad Usman visited the protesters and held negotiations with a five-member committee. However, they failed to arrive at a compromise.
The protesters dispersed for a while but when they heard that the negotiations had not achieved much, they resumed their protest. This time, they blocked the Metro Bus track, Ferozepur Road, Barkat Market, Wahdat Road and the adjacent roads for traffic.
Heavy police contingents from nearing police stations arrived at the scene to maintain law and order.
The protesters had arrived from Jhang, Sialkot, Faisalabad and Gujranwala and gathered at the Kalma Chowk Metro Bus route at around 9am.
Riaz Ahmad, a graduate of the Al-Faisal Blind Centre in Faisalabad, said that he had been jobless for three years after completing his studies. He said that the government had promised them jobs but had not fulfilled the pledge.
Equal opportunity: Visually impaired protesters demand jobs
Muhammad Amir, a university graduate from Jhang, said most of them who had no regular jobs worked for daily wages at government offices. “At least we deserve contracts.”
Hafiz Muzammil, who was also a member of the negotiating committee, said there were more than 1,500 visually-impaired graduates in the Punjab. He said most of the seats in the 3 per cent job-quota specified by the government for the disabled were vacant. “Most of the jobs have been given to the physically impaired and the deaf.”
He said they were demanding jobs for all blind people in accordance with their qualification. “Those working for daily wages should be given contracts and those on contracts should be made permanent.”
Ishtiaq, another protester, said that the negotiations had failed because the DCO had refused to address their problems. “DCOs in various cities have raised hurdles for us…most of them simply refuse to meet us.”
Punjab Mass Transit Authority Operations Director Syed Uzair Shah told The Express Tribune that around 9am the Metro Bus staff had informed the control room that some protesters had blocked the bus track near Kalma Chowk. The authority had partially suspended bus operations near Kalma Chowk to avoid an untoward incident.
He said the authority had continued running busses between Gaddafi Stadium and Shadara and at around 1pm, the administration had managed to clear the Metro Bus track. The protesters had blocked the track again at around 4pm.
‘Solve accreditation issues’
Hundreds of students of the Bahauddin Zakariya University’s Lahore Campus gathered in front of the city campus in Garden Town and staged a sit-in on the Canal Road. The demonstration began at 9am and continued till 4pm. It ended following an assurance given by Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed.
Quota implementation : Visually-impaired protestors end demo over govt assurance
A 10-member delegation of students met the education minister. Mashhood said that they would receive degrees accredited by the BZU Multan. He promised that a written agreement would be prepared and shared with the students on Tuesday (today) and said that the issue would be solved in a month.
Mohsin Zia, one of the protesters, said that the provincial government had assured them that their time and money would not go to waste. “It has been three months and no decision has been taken.” He said the government had placed the future of more than 5,000 students of the varsity in a lurch.
He said many teachers had quit and only a few remained. “This is affecting our studies…we have received no intimation about a solution. Whenever we block the road, we get an assurance from the government but no decisions are taken.”
The students were of the view that the government and the campus management were on the same page, while the students had to fend for themselves.
They said that they had paid the university more than one would for a public university. “We will not let the campus be converted to a college now.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2016.