Government Activities

Mobile court

A mobile court to redress the grievances of persons with disabilities was held at Little Flower Convent Higher Secondary School for the Blind that was jointly organized by the office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Government of India, and the State Commissioner for the Disabled. The court dealt with issue of discrimination, denial of benefits, concessions and barrier–free environments among others.

More than 200 complaints were received and dealt with. Showcause notices and orders were issued and copies handed over to the complainants. Chief Commissioner Manoj Kumar directed the State Government to allot land on a preferential basis to an organization working with mentally disabled persons. Showcause notices were also issued to Annamalai University, Chidambaram, IIT Madras and several State Government departments on reservation of vacancies.

Over 50 disability certificates were issued at the programme. More such mobile courts will be held in other districts, said V.K. Jeyakodi, State Commissoner for the Disabled.

Source: Mobile court hears petitions of disabled, Indian Express, Chennai, 9 January 2008.

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NHRC seeks answers

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) asked Delhi government to submit a report within four weeks in a case pertaining to alleged denial of admission to a deaf and mute boy in a shelter home in December last year.

TOI and another daily had reported about the boy, who was rescued by an NGO from Nizamuddin railway station on December, 7, 2007. He was made to run from pillar to post for 24 hours before being offered temporary refuge at the Lajpat Nagar Children's Home.

“The contents of the report, if found true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the child,” an NHRC official said,.

Volunteers from NGO Childhood Enhancement Through Training & Action (Chetna) had found the 14–year–old boy. He was suffering from a severe eye infection when he was rescued. He was first taken to a police station and then rushed to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Lajpat Nagar. As per rules, a rescued child has to be produced before the CWC which then refers the child to a shelter home.

“But even if the child cannot be produced before CWC on the day of rescue, the children's homes are supposed to keep them till the child is produced before CWC as per new guidelines,” Sanjay Gupta, director, Chetna, had then told TOI.

Surender Kumar from Chetna had complained that when they tried to produce the boy before CWC, the members advised a mandatory medical check–up before an order could be passed.

Despite promising to get a medical test done and reminding them that CWC would remain closed for the next two days, an order was denied, Kumar said. By the time the boy was brought back to CWC after medical examination, it was 4.45 pm and CWC had wound up for the day.

When contacted, a CWC member who ordered the medical examination had reportedly advised that the boy should be taken to a shelter run by an NGO under Childline. When Chetna contacted Childline, it refused to take the boy saying that without a written intimation from CWC, it could not keep him. The Child Welfare Home in Lajpat Nagar refused assistance on the grounds that a CWC direction was necessary. A second and third appeal after 10 pm to the home failed too.

A day later on December 8, the NGO again approached the welfare home at 1 p.m. The staff asked for the CWC order and said they did not have the power to take a decision.

Source: NHRC seeks report on disabled boy, The Times of India, New Delhi, 15 January 2008.

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Flight services inadequate

Vulnerability of disabled people was yet again highlighted when a handicapped woman had to wait for over one hour inside the aircraft after its arrival because of unavailability of wheelchair by the airline at the Delhi airport.

Sources said that a middle aged handicapped woman landed at the Palam Airport from an Air Deccan flight. While all her co–passengers left for their destinations, she, along with her relatives, had to keep waiting inside the aircraft as the airline officials did not provide her with the wheelchair.

After waiting for more than an hour, her family persons finally made a PCR call in connection with the incident. “We received a call at about I am on Thursday, following which the police personnel reached the spot. After 10 minutes from our arrival, the airline officials had sent a wheelchair. However, the woman by then, had already waited for one hour,” the investigating officer of the case said, adding, “We tried to calm the passenger.”

Sources added that after the aircraft landed, the family members of the woman repeatedly made calls to the airline office. However, no one bothered to pick up. The investigating officer said, “Since the case was compromised, we decided not to register an FIR in this regard.” However, the police refused to divulge much information in connection with the call and said that they didn't even ask for the name of the woman.

The convenor, Disability Rights Group, Mr Javed Abidi, after hearing the incident said, “It is completely a gross violation of human rights. Airlines have already been pulled up so many times for causing such inconveniences and the lawyers have even submitted affidavits in courts that such incidents won't happen again, but still such instances keeps on happening and so much of them goes unreported,” He added, “I think the need of the hour is to take strict action and, in this incident, a woman should file a complaint in the court asking for compensation.”

Source: Disabled had to wait over an hour for wheelchair, Asian Age, New Delhi, 14 January 2008.

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