Visually challenged seek land for office as per HC directive

TRICHY: A group of visually challenged people staged a protest in the chamber of corporation mayor over the civic body's failure to allocate land for their association.
A permanent space for the Trichy unit of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has not materialised for over 25 years, even though a resolution was passed by the erstwhile Trichy municipality way back in 1991 facilitating allotment of a plot for it.Their demand was rejected when Trichy was upgraded to corporation in 1994.
The over 400-member NFB unit in Trichy approached the high court seeking allocation of land in 2012. Delivering a verdict in favour of the NFB, the court directed the corporation to allocate a land within three months.
While a split in the federation a decade ago stalled the process of obtaining the land, it had been taking it forward over the past three years after they united under the NFB banner.
"We have been raising the issue every year with the city corporation whenever our new-office bearers take charge. But there was hardly any development," said K Muthu Kumar, 47, treasurer of NFB in Trichy.
An agarbatti seller, Muthu Kumar says there are several people like him who would get benefitted if a land is allocated for NFB. Besides an office for the NFB, they are planning to build a braille library.
Citing unawareness over the issue when the members met her, mayor A Jaya she promised to look into the issue and asked them to bring all the documents supporting their demand.