From the States

Aurangabad

Bhiwandi

Chennai

Enjoying the caves

The appearance of sophisticated aluminium ramps for wheelchair-bound tourists at the Ellora World Heritage Site in Aurangabad represents a monumental "mindset shift" among babus managing tourism sites in the country. Now the second phase of the internationally funded restoration and conservation work at Ajanta and Ellora has been announced by the MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation).

While two other immediate improvements are needed at Ellora - parking bay to prevent polluting vehicles from coming close to the 6th century caves, and optic "cool lights" to shed the darkness inside - the ramps in themselves constitute a much-delayed but welcome initiative.

Excavated over six centuries beginning 500 AD, the Ellora caves dedicated to Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism represent the most extensive portrayal at any one place.

The most spectacular is the Kailash temple (Cave 16) that has been chiselled out of a single solid rock, representing "the final stage of perfection in Hindu rock-cut architecture".

Much to the anguish of physically challenged Indians, the Ellora caves, as with the country's other prized monuments, parks, building, banks and shopping centres suffered from a conspicuous absence of special access infrastructure for the physically-challenged.

This despite specific provisions in the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection) Act, 1995 directing the government to ensure access for persons with disabilities in public place and public transport infrastructure. As a result, most physically challenged persons do not have the courage to venture out of their homes because of the absence of access infrastructure for them.

What needs to be stopped forthwith is the permission given to highly polluting auto rickshaws and personal vehicles to take tourists right up to the mouth of caves 30-34 dedicated to Jainism.

According to the ASI and CPWD Central Public Works Department) officials, a Rs. 5 crore proposal for illuminating Ellora caves with fiber-optic lighting has been gathering dust with the ASI for the last one year.

Source: Ellora does it for differently-abled, The Times of India, Mumbai, 29 August 2005.

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The word is spreading!

The Nizampur City Municipal School Board Bhiwandi distributed 22 wheelchairs to handicapped students at a function. The Education Board Administrator, N.K.Sonar said, the wheel chair for the handicapped students were distributed under the "Sarva Shiksha Adhiyan" scheme.

The Board had recently invited the ALIMCO Trust, a charitable organisation of Kanpur working for the cause of the handicapped people to take a survey of the students. About 73 handicapped students were assessed and the trust recommended their names to the Board.

Source: Education board distribute wheelchairs to disabled students, The Free Journal, 29 August 2005.

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Certificates remain the key issue

The Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in K.K. Nagar offers therapy to persons with disabilities, including partial paralysis: but life is tough for those who seek treatment there, as wheelchairs are in short supply. There are ramps but no handrails. They hobble across a rough gravel path on crutches. Quite a few children who come for treatment do not even have footwear. From the hygiene point of view, toilets there are so dirty that even patients who come for treatment and their relatives, neither people with fractures in their legs nor the permanently disabled can use the it.

This is what a mother had to say: Manjula came in an auto rickshaw with her teenaged boy afflicted with cerebral palsy on Saturday morning. She says that the auto driver was helpful and struggled to carry the child as he has become big and heavy.

Manjula has not been able to accept that her son will never walk. Specialists in private corporate hospital had given her hope that he would walk after surgery. But her son wants to take the NIOS examinations in October. Manjula is worried that the certificate would label her child.

She said her son has prepared for the examinations and needs a scribe to write the test. If he can't take the test, he will be disappointed and for appearing in the exams and to avail of the benefits a certificate is a must.

To qualify for concessions, a disabled must apply for a certificate declaring his disability. The only authorized organisation in the city for the purpose is this institute and one has to make several trips to the institute for this purpose.

B. Meenakshi (Disability Legislation unit (south) at the Vidyasagar Institute) said that disability certificate is a must for access as there are eight categories including for railway concessions, income tax, writing examination, employment and just one certificate cannot be used for all categories. Three or four children from Vidyasagar have taken certificates for writing the tests so far.

According to rehabilitation centre staff there is a backlog of four to six months. There is a procedure for issuing certificate like, every one coming for certificate is given an appointment and a registration today means an appointment a month or two later.

Source: R. Sujatha. A rough ride for the disabled. The Hindu, Chennai, 29 August 2005.

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