From the States

Accessibility in the Golden Temple

The SGPC made special arrangements for devotees with physically impairments who come to offer obeisance at the Golden Temple.

SGPC sources, however, claimed that they had never denied entry to any handicapped person wanting to offer prayers at the sanctum sanctorum as wheelchair and other possible arrangements were in place at the entrance of the temple complex so ensure that that no one returns without visiting the holy shrine.

An Australian couple, Tom Simpson and his handicapped wife Beverly, had been denied the entry to the shrine which had caused great dismay to them. Simpson had mentioned his shock and dismay to Daya Singh in Australia about this unsavory episode which had left him greatly anguished. According to Simpson, his wife Beverly suffered from weak veins in legs and feet and had to be bandaged to avoid swelling. The sewadars at Golden Temple allegedly stopped her from entering the shrine with bandaged feet.

Taken aback by a news item appearing on the above, the secretary of SGPC Dalmegh Singh not only expressed ignorance about this particular incident but also pointed out that the parikarma sewadars had been instructed to provide special care to all physically challenged persons visiting the shrine. He said a special group of sewadars with wheelchairs were deputed round-the-clock and all entry points were covered to facilitate and help such persons.

Citing the case of a handicapped Venezuelan Ambassador to India, who had visited Golden Temple a few months ago, the SGPC sources revealed that special arrangements were made by the staff who lifted him up on their shoulders, after properly washing his feet, till the parikarma. He was later taken around the sanctum sanctorum in a wheelchair.

Source: Physically challenged not harassed: SGPC. The Tribune, Daily, New Delhi, 5 May 2007.

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What can we do about this?

The General Secretary of the College Students and Graduates Association of the Blind says he cannot use the pavement to get to the Commission for the Rehabilitation of disabled people. He says he would rather use the road, as it is more likely to be level, free from obstructions and gaps, unlike the pavements, which are uneven.

Similar is the story recounted by a member of the Tamil Nadu Association for the Welfare of the Physically Handicapped who adds that there is not a single stretch of pavement in Chennai that can be cited as an example of being disabled–friendly.

Unfriendly subways make crossing the road an ordeal for them. A proposal to install escalators at three subways is pending for several months now. Though the contracts have been awarded, the contractors are yet to commence work, citing delays in procuring materials.  

Public insensitivity adds to the problem. The pavements outside Aikya, a school for the mentally disabled, were ripped up to create parking space for neighbours. Remember the struggles of two youngsters in Mumbai (story reported in http://www.disabilityindia.org/djstatesmar07D.cfm)?

The question is: what did the bystanders do to halt the process. Is our job only to bash others?

Source: Achuthan, K and J. Malarvizhi. Disabled-unfriendly pavements, The Hindu, May 8, 2007

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Route 620

Bus Route number 620 - between Hauz Khas Terminal and Shivaji Stadium - was planned as Delhi’s first disabled-friendly route. A year later, only 34 of the 70 bus shelters on this route are being reconstructed to accommodate the disabled.

Route 620 was chosen because Delhi Transport Corporation runs its present low-floor buses on this route. The low-floor buses are disabled-friendly and the plan was to make the bus shelters compatible with these buses.

DTC was sanctioned Rs 1 crore by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Samarthya, an NGO working to make public transport disabled-friendly, designed the bus shelters.

“The first prototype of the bus shelter was built at Hauz Khas Terminal in March 2006. We wanted to make one bus route fully disabled-friendly as an example and this was a dream come true,” said Sanjeev Sachdeva, founder of Samarthya. “However, a year down the line, the project is yet to start.”

The bus shelters were to have features like ramps on both sides, a height of 380mm that is compatible with the chassis of low floor buses, tactile paths, warning strip for persons with vision impairment and space for two wheel chairs. “The shelters will also have audio beepers and Braille plates with bus numbers for visually challenge people. These shelters will be beneficial for all users - people with reduced mobility like senior citizens, families with young children, pregnant women, people with temporary ailments and also people travelling with heavy luggage,” Sachdeva said.

The route runs through areas under the jurisdiction of the New Delhi Municipal Council (Shivaji Stadium to Moti Bagh) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (Moti Bagh I to Hauz Khas Terminal). NDMC is already constructing 34 new bus shelters in its area, Sachdeva said.

A senior DTC official said the delay was due to the project’s cost escalation.  “There was a change in the scope of work because it was later suggested that there should be audio beepers and steel handrails, which are expensive. As a result the cost shot up and the project was sent back to the central government for approval,” the official said.

“We have already invited tenders for constructing 225 disabled friendly bus shelters, of which 25 will be for the 620 route,” said Delhi’s transport minister Haroon Yusuf.

“The shelters will have the same specification like the NDMC bus shelters. The 620 route would be totally disabled friendly,” he said. Yusuf, however, said that it would take at least eight months for the bus shelters to come up.

Source: Wait for disabled-friendly bus shelters gets longer. The Hindustan Times, Daily, New Delhi, 14 May 2007.

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Is it an OBC vs Disabled debate?

It seems that the reservation war has some internal politics. Early May 2007 Vice Chancellor of JNU Mr. B.B. Bhattacharya said, "There will be no separate disability quota reservation under each category. Students falling under such categories will however be given preference to maintain the overall three percent quota for disabled people."

In addition he said that if the Supreme Court does not go ahead with the OBC quota reservations from this year, only then will the varsity provide the 3 percent reservation for the physically–challenged students.

Apparently this decision had to be taken as the varsity already has 22.5 percent of the total seats reserved for the SC/ST students and implementing another 27 percent reservation for the OBCs (which is bound to be implemented) and a 3 percent reservation for disabled people will result in violation of the 50 percent reservation limit order by the Supreme Court.

Why does it seem that the issue of reservation is an either/or issue? Will the loud protestors – against injustice – in JNU please stand up to answer?

Source: No separate quota for disabled at JNU this year. Read original article at www.indiaedunews.net/Delhi

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