DUSHANBE, January 16, Asia-Plus — On Monday January 15, a group of representatives from the Hissor Blind Society gathered in front of the government building to demand that authorities improve electricity supplies to their homes. The visually impaired people said that they have electricity only several hours per day. They said that they also have no water in the homes. They also demanded for improvement of employment opportunities.
In the meantime, Turbek Davlatov, head of Tajikistan’s Blind Society, and Kholmahamd Tengniyev, head of the Dushanbe Blind Society, called this action “hasty and not quite right.”
According to Davlatov, the country’s Blind Society’s administration is aware of electricity supplies problems. “As a result of limitation on power usage, daily electrical power in the settlement, where these people live, has been reduced four hours – two hours of electricity in the morning and two in the evening ,” said the Tajik Blind Society head, “We have repeatedly applied on this subject to different organizations and they promised that houses of the visually impaired people living in the settlement will be connected to a separate power-transmission line.”
According to him, 250 visually impaired people this settlement.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported that representatives from president’s office met with demonstrators and promised to probe the situation.
The meeting in front of the president’s palace lasted about 30 minutes and the demonstrators then disbursed.
It is to be noted that it is not the first demonstration to protest power shortages. Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported that on January 8, more than 40 women accompanied by their children held a demonstration in the northern city of Panjakent to protest a lack of electricity, natural gas or water in their homes. According to the report, close to 180,000 residents in 14 communities in Panjakent received limited power.
