Hi all, Having followed the thread on DGCA guidelines and the subsequent discussion of concessions for the blind or escorts, I have been thinking about it for a couple of days.
I feel that in our country, the existence of public sector in businesses like transport and education has benifitted persons with blindness. If all the industry and utility services were run by private firms, I don't imagine they would come forward with so many concessions and exemptions for us. Providing concessions is much simpler for public sector or government. However, this raises a big question of who should eventually pay for the concessions? As citizens of the country, we are entitled to lead a life which closely resembles a sighted or normal person who doesn't have a disability. This obviously entails extra expenditure because of various reasons. To offset this additional cost, concessions and exemptions are provided. I strongly feel that since the government collects taxes from individuals as well as businesses in the private sector, it should be the one paying for these concessions. If the Railways were privatised, the cost of providing concession to blind persons should be born by the government and not by the private company which runs the railways. If a private company voluntarily comes forward with concessions, it is a very good gesture on their part. But if concessions are imposed by law, the cost of these concessions should be reimbursed. For instance, when most of the other passengers of airlines were paying full fair for their tickets, blind persons were only paying half. If we put the social argument of concession aside for a while, the airline company was loozing money by carrying blind passengers. The airline company in question also pays the same tax irrespective of offering concessions. So, there is no insentive at all for the airline company by carrying blind passengers. On the contrary, the company gets less money. I think it is the responsibility of the government to provide or pay for the concessions as they should look after the welfare of its citizens. Private companies or public sector companies for that matter should never be forced to bear the cost of concessions. What do you all think about this? I know this is never going to happen in India. Regards, Kiran. To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
