Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
In a bizarre incident, MLA Omprakash alias Bacchu Kadu slapped an employee of Tejas Company over the poor quality of electric rickshaws provided to disabled persons by the Maharashtra State Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (MSHFDC). The incident took place at the Subhedari Guest House on Thursday evening.
The rickshaws provided through the MSHFDC have several technical faults. They struggle to climb inclines, their batteries don't charge properly, and they often fail to start. Besides, there is a significant gap between the chassis and the handle, causing the rickshaws to overturn on the road, making them extremely dangerous. After beneficiaries complained about these issues, the concerned officers were summoned to the guest house to understand the root cause. However, they gave evasive answers and started providing information in a language other than Marathi. This led to the incident, said the MLA.
Meanwhile, a morcha of disabled persons led by MLA is scheduled to take place at the Divisional Commissioner's office on August 9. As of Thursday evening, the police had not granted permission for the agitation. MLA mentioned that the office-bearers and activists are in talks with the police to secure permission. If granted, the morcha will proceed. Today evening, police officers assessed the situation in front of the Divisional Commissioner’s office, reviewing the stage setup and estimating the crowd size to plan for Friday.
Investigation ongoing
An investigation is underway regarding the technical complaints about the rickshaws. Issues such as the rickshaws stopping while running, and failing to move forward while carrying a load uphill, have been reported, said Abhay Kargutkar, Member-Secretary and Managing Director of MSHFDC.