Facilities for persons with special needs demanded - ISLAMABAD

A civil society organisation here on Thursday called upon the government to give persons with disabilities concession in taxes, transport fares and establish an equipment bank to facilitate their daily life.

The demands came from the office-bearers of Pakistan Disabled Foundation (PDF) at a time when the flows of finances from the federal and provincial governments for the betterment of persons with disabilities have almost dried down after the implementation of the 18th amendment.

“The persons with disabilities are almost ignored by the federal and provincial governments,” said the chairman of the foundation, Shahid Ahmed Memon, while talking to media persons here.

Mr Memon and other office-bearers of the foundation came from Karachi to urge the budget makers to consider a package for the education, training and rehabilitation of the special persons.

“We have repeatedly approached the government-funded institutions for help but were always told that there were no funds,” Mr Memon said, adding only the Punjab government was extending some support to people with disabilities.

The foundation has also repeatedly asked the government for the establishment of the National Authority on Disability but to no avail.

The authority would patronise, monitor, coordinate and facilitate the inter-provincial, national and international policies for the community.

Another major demand that came from the community was the establishment of an equipment bank for people with disabilities. He said more than 80 per cent of people with disabilities cannot afford buying devices and equipment to fulfil the need of their daily life.

He said the establishment of the bank would arrange subsidised equipment like wheelchairs, hearing aids, white canes, artificial limbs and equipment for speech therapy and physiotherapy.

Mr Memon appreciated the government’s announcement of 50 per cent exemption in the income tax liabilities for the disabled people. However, he demanded that the community should be exempted from taxes on airfares.

At the movement, he said, people with disabilities are given concessions but it only applies on the basic cost of the air ticket. After calculation of taxes, the total amount of the ticket goes up.

The chairman of the foundation said the president of Pakistan had already given 50 per cent concession in railway fares for the guides of persons with disabilities but the bureaucrats were not implementing the order.

The bureaucrats only allow 50 per cent reduction in fares for the disabled persons, he said, demanding cut in fares for guide as well.

Mr Memon said the government should also come up with a quota for the special people in the allocation of resources.



Source : The Dawn , 6th June 2014