Commissioner for People with Disabilities to be sent on compulsory leave: Maharashtra minister
After council members and its chairperson Ram Shinde insisted that the commissioner, an IAS officer, be suspended, Minister for Disability (Divyang) Welfare Atul Save assured the instructions of the chair will be followed.
Mumbai, Jul 16 (PTI) Maharashtra's Commissioner for People with Disabilities will be sent on compulsory leave, a minister told the legislative council on Wednesday after a BJP MLC accused him of handling an issue related to a school for intellectually challenged students in an insensitive manner.
Joshi said the institution had taken a loan, but the director of the school has forced teachers and other staff members to repay it through EMIs.
There is no arrangement for food and water in the school, and staff members were abused and even threatened with a gun by the director if they raised any complaints, the MLC alleged.
Joshi said the Nagpur Zilla Parishad (ZP) did an evaluation of the school in February in which it gave 80 out of 100 points to the school. After he raised the issue, another evaluation was done by the Zilla Parishad which gave 23 of 100 points in just three months of the first report.
The lawmaker said he repeatedly raised this issue with the Commissioner for People with Disabilities, but barring once, he did not get any response.
The MLC said he made frequent calls to the bureaucrat since the start of the monsoon session of the state legislature on June 30, but to no avail.
Joshi demanded action against the Commissioner for People with Disabilities for not looking into the issue despite repeated directions, against the CEO of Nagpur Zilla Parishad for two varying reports about the institute in less than three months and also the director of the institute who threatened the staff.
Replying to the calling attention motion, Save said, 'It is a serious issue. An administrator has been appointed for the institute.
Joshi, however, demanded action against the Commissioner for People with Disabilities and Zilla Parishad CEO.
Save said he has no powers to suspend the Commissioner as he is an IAS officer and that the department needs to recommend the same to the government.
The minister said official can be sent on compulsory leave.
However, the Joshi insisted that the official be suspended for his insensitive behaviour while dealing with a sensitive issue. Other members of the house, including Pravin Darekar (BJP), also joined him in seeking action.
Council Chairman Shinde asked Save to send the official on compulsory leave, serve him a show cause issue and suspend the official.
'Instructions of the chair will be followed,' the minister said. PTI PR RSY
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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