Manish Kumar
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Feb 11: Two decades have passed since the Persons With Disabilities Act 1995 was passed mandating that public offices and places be made disabled-friendly. However, this has just remained a distant dream in the city.
A tour of various places in the city such as the Rail Sadan, commissionerate office and the directorate of planning was disappointing.
The situation is the worst at the Bhubaneswar Development Authority office and Nirman Soudha, which have a big flight of stairs with nothing to aid the differently-abled. The procurement cell at Nirman Soudha has a ramp and a railing but this is blocked by a cooler. The Government Hospital on the Orissa State Armed Police 7th Battalion campus also does not have any ramp.
Measures to make the office disabled-friendly are also conspicuous by their absence at the Survey of India. The office does not even have a ramp at the
entrance.
The town planning department office also does not have any ramp. The state museum has a ramp at the side entrance, but this is locked.
Rail Sadan, which is spread over a large area near Jaydev Vihar, has only a small lose wooden ramp at one side of the entrance.
However, in some places measures have been taken keeping the differently-abled in mind. The Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for Handicapped (VRCH) has taken several measures to help the differently-abled.
Rabindra Mandap, the culture hub, has ramps and railings and has also made provisions for parking within 30 metres of the entrance. The Harekrushna Mahatab state library has a provision for a ramp and railing besides a flat entrance.
“The Persons With Disability Act tries to ensure that disabled people can use public properties with ease. We have tried our best to ensure that the provisions of the Act are met. We train a number of disabled people and have made adequate provisions so that they can stay and learn here with ease. Many offices in the city have also made arrangements for this but there is scope to do a lot more,” says Ram Kishore Sharma, assistant director, VRCH, Khandigiri.
“We need to redefine disability. Disability not only means a person who looks like disable. Even older people sometimes become disable on certain things.
It pains me to see the arrangements at government offices and railway stations and how disabled people struggle. People often build special things for VIPs but hardly think about providing basic amenities for the needy ones,” says Prakash K Rath, CEO of Open Learning System.
“I find many of these people more enthusiastic and determined than others. However, absence of proper infrastructure often prevents them from taking part in games. This only kills their spirit. Despite having potential they fail to prove their worth because of inadequate infrastructure,” says Arpita Mohapatra, who trains disabled people in various sports disciplines.
