TARATDAC flays appointment of representative to Corporation without prior notice

Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) condemned the arbitrary decision of the district administration to select a differently abled appointed member for Madurai Corporation without consultation with the selection committee. 

A Balamurugan, district secretary, TARATDAC, said, a recent Government Order (GO) of the State government mandated the appointment of a differently abled person as a representative in all the corporations, municipalities and town panchayats in the State to ensure their participation in decision making and implementation of various projects at local level.  

According to the GO, a selection committee comprising District Collector, Corporation Commissioner, Differently abled Welfare Officer and representatives of recognised associations would come together to receive nominations and select a representative to the corporation, he added.  

But, in Madurai, the district-level selection committee without consulting any of the association representatives or convening a meeting selected a representative on their own, Mr. Balamurugan said.   

“We doubt that the member was hurriedly appointed as the representative before the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3. Though no official information has been released from the government regarding the selection, we are sure the appointment was done through a back door process,” he alleged. 

“Also, it is the responsibility of the district administration to select a fair and active member to address the issues of the community as a whole and not work aiming for any recognition or rewards,” he stated.  

Mr. Balamurugan felt that though both differently abled associations and non-government organisations were part of the selection committee, the associations were side-lined owing to their uncompromising position in many of the matters discussed.  

“We oppose and vouch for discussions because we work with the differently abed people on ground starting from a very poor background to an economically stable family. Due to this diversity, we are familiar with all their problems of their day-to-day life,” he said.  

Thinking that the representative selected from an NGO could be used for their favour in important decision-making processes, the district administration silently completed the entire process without prior information or notification, he complained.  

“We came to know of the representative appointment only after we checked with the district administration. Otherwise, we would have still been in dark about the process and appointment,” he stated.  

A district differently abled welfare officer said that as per the GO, there were norms allowing the appointment of NGO members as a representative.  

Regarding failing to inform all the stakeholders in the appointment process, he said they had informed everyone before selecting the representative.