A tricycle allegedly broke down minutes after being handed over to a person with disabilities in an incident that occurred during Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s four-day visit to Guna in Madhya Pradesh. However, in prompt action, the minister’s team provided a replacement.
Ramratan Ojha, an elderly resident of Purani Chhavani, had requested the minister for a cycle at an event. On Scindia’s instructions, the Department of Social Justice promptly arranged the cycle, and the minister handed it over to him.
Scindia also garlanded Ojha during the brief ceremony. Overwhelmed, a teary-eyed Ojha thanked the minister for the cycle.
However, shortly after leaving the Circuit House and travelling barely 500 metres, near Hanuman Crossing, the rim of the tricycle’s wheel bent out of shape. Unable to move further, he was left stranded in the middle of the road.
Officials from the Social Justice department later provided an explanation and said it would be replaced.
Abdul Gaffar Khan, an official associated with the department, said that the wheel may have been damaged after being struck by a motorcycle from the side while the beneficiary was driving the tricycle. The tricycle is under warranty, and the department would replace it within an hour or two, he added.
Local shopkeepers, who were witnesses to the incident, had a different account of the incident. They claimed that the wheel bent on its own and that no vehicle had rammed it. According to them, the incident appeared to be the result of poor-quality equipment.
The incident triggered criticism over the quality of assistive equipment being distributed by the Social Justice department.
Replacement Within Hours
Minister Scindia expressed displeasure over the incident and directed officials to replace Ojha’s tricycle. Within hours, Ojha was handed over a new tricycle as a replacement. Scindia also stated that there would be no compromise over the quality of products provided to persons with disabilities and that such negligence shall not be tolerated.
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