PIL seeks amenities for disabled

PUNE: A city-based NGO has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay high court demanding disabled-friendly infrastructure at public places in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. The HC has listed the next hearing for March 14.
Parisar — a city-based group working for sustainable urban transport - has demanded that footpaths, crossings, PMPML and Bus Rapid Transit System must fully comply with the Disabilities Act and various policies and guidelines accessible for senior citizens and the disabled.
Parisar has argued before the HC that complying with the Act is well within the capacity of the two municipal corporations since they have planned large projects with substantial budgets.
Parisar's PIL stated: "The Disability Act seeks to ensure that there shall not be any discrimination against people living with disability while using any mode of public transportation or using any road or bridge and that their right to livelihood is not denied or restricted. India is also a signatory to the UN Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities, whose contents, the Supreme Court has ruled, "are binding on our legal system".
Parisar has alleged that the footpaths are uneven and are occupied by obstructions created by the authorities themselves. The obstructions include traffic light poles, electricity poles, sign boards, gantry columns, municipal garbage containers, and utility boxes such as electricity DP boxes or telephone boxes. The PIL said that amenities like public toilets are also not disabled-friendly.
Parisar has also questioned the construction of pedestrian subways and foot over bridges. "The ones made in Pune do not have ramps or working lifts. The lifts are also not as per the Central PWD Guidelines published by the ministry of urban development," Parisar said. Insisting that the PMC and the PCMC should be making safe at-grade crossings as per the guidelines of the Indian Roads Congress, the PIL pointed out that many cities like London are in fact removing subways and replacing them with surface-level crossings.
Last month, Parisar sent a letter to the PMC stating that the BRTS shelters being constructed on Alandi Road are not in compliance with persons with Disablities Act and the guidelines for barrier-free environment for disabled and elderly persons published by the Central Public Works Department. Parisar said that if all the civic infrastrucutural facilities are accessible for the disabled and senior citizens, they are automatically friendly for others.
The objective of filing the PIL is to create public awareness about the issue and also to sensitize the concerned authorities about planning disabled-friendly projects, Parisar said.
As per the State Action Plan for Persons with Disabilities, 1.06% of the population is legally disabled. Parisar pointed out that in 20 years, about 12-14% of the population will be above the age of 60.