Over 87 per cent of the buildings in the city, where the
public gathers in large numbers, continue to have barriers to access.
Of this, 250 are Chennai Corporation buildings.
This has been indicated by the Corporation’s own assessment of disabled-friendly buildings in the city.
It
is clear that the civic body has failed to meet the objectives of the
Persons with Disabilities Act of 1996, and, having failed to offer a
barrier-free environment, is now scrambling to regulate large buildings.
The
Corporation has screened 7,860 large commercial buildings, including
malls, theatres, marriage halls and showrooms. Only 1,038 of these
buildings have ramps and other disabled-friendly features in accordance
with the National Building Code of India, 2005.
Representatives
of groups of persons with disabilities stressed the need for
implementing disabled-friendly measures towards ensuring
“non-discrimination in transport on the roads and the built
environment.” Of Chapter VII of the Persons with Disabilities Act,
sections 44 to 46 instruct the government and local authorities on
installing auditory signals for persons with visual disability, kerbs
and slopes on pavements for wheelchair-users, and warning signals at
appropriate places.
“Most of the ATMs in the city do
not have properly-designed ramps. The poorly-designed ramps in Pitty
Thyagarar Arangam are an example of the existing conditions. Toilets in
the city are not disabled-friendly either,” said P. Simmachandran, State
general secretary, Federation of Tamil Nadu Differently Abled
Associations.
“Persons with disability are unable to
visit malls, large textile showrooms and railway stations. Authorities
giving planning approval do not regulate the buildings. During our
recent visit to Korea, we were able to visit highrise buildings and
railway stations in wheelchairs,” he added.
Corporation
officials said the civic body is planning to pull up its socks and make
sure its buildings have easy access for all, and cancel the trade
licence for malls, theatres, hotels, and marriage halls that violate the
provisions of the Act.
Of the 7,860 large commercial buildings screened by civic body, only 1,038 have ramps and other facilities for access.
Source: The Hindu, 4th Feb 2015
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