The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Some govt. offices still inaccessible to the disabled

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 16, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Some govt. offices still inaccessible to the disabled

By Divya Ramamurthi

BANGALORE, OCT. 15. Twenty-one-year-old Sita Devi was exhausted by the time she met officials at the Bangalore Development Authority to find out the status of her property.

What tired her out was not the wait at the office but a few short steps at its entrance. After trying to go up the stairs, Sita, who was in a wheelchair, just gave up. She then sought the help of an employee at the office to assist her.

"I hate having to look to others for help," says this resident of Cox Town. For most disabled people, entry into municipal offices is a tedious task.

What makes these buildings almost inaccessible to the disabled is that the building bylaws in municipal offices have not been amended to include the Central Public Works Department's guidelines that specify technical details to facilitate movement of such people.

"We have written several letters to the municipal commissioners requesting them to amend the bylaws. But they have ignored our repeated requests," says Pradeep Kumar, Assistant Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner for the Disabled. He says that despite a letter by the Chief Secretary to municipal commissioners earlier this year, no action has been taken.

There is also the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike office, where despite an amendment to the bylaw, the building has not been made barrier free. "I just can't understand the hesitation on their part to provide access. It (remodelling) is not very expensive," says Mr. Kumar.

However, not all government offices are inaccessible to the disabled. Of the 1,053 government buildings in Karnataka, 900 have been modified to provide some measure of access to such people. The Vidhan Soudha provides entry for the disabled through a ramp. The High Court, the City Railway Station and the General Post Office buildings were recently modified.

An access audit by Voices-Proof Energy Centre of the railway station showed that several of the platforms were inaccessible because of the presence of stairs. "Whenever there is a train on platform nos. 1 and 2, it is not possible to reach other platforms," says Asish Sen, director of Voices.

In most modified buildings, access is primarily limited to the physically challenged by the provision of a ramp. There are no signages or interpreters to help the visually challenged or the hearing impaired. "Visually impaired persons are the most hit," says Mr. Kumar.

His office is trying to pressure the State Government to make sign language mandatory in all public offices and meetings. The Government is taking care to see that all their new buildings are barrier free. Vikas Soudha (the South Block) will have not only a ramp but also disabled-friendly toilets, signages and brightly coloured and bold-lettered boards. It will even have sliding doors.

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