Access denied, for disabled in the city
Riddhi Shah and Jaya Shroff
, Hindustan Times
Mumbai/New Delhi, October 19, 2007
First Published: 03:11 IST(19/10/2007)
Last Updated: 03:18 IST(19/10/2007)
Our politicians say Mumbai will be the new Shanghai
when comparisons between the city and New York keep
cropping up. But Mumbai's dream of becoming a global
megapolis is distant and far-fetched. Why? Just ask
yourself these questions: when was the last time you
saw a disabled person use public transport without
help? Can a disabled person use the footpaths in the
city? Would he or she be able to go to a public toilet
in the city's restaurants, malls or buildings?
"There is little awareness. No one realises that we
should be allowed to live life independently," says
Sunita Sancheti, access head of ADAPT (Able Disabled
All People Together), an NGO working towards making
the city more disabled-friendly.
Everything, from banks to hospitals, transport
services to hotels, is built with scant regard to the
disabled. "The trains have a very small compartment
for the disabled but it is routinely used as a toilet
by miscreants. When we complain to the authorities,
they tell us we are responsible for it. There
is also a big gap between the platform and the
carriage, and the stations are completely inaccessible
with no ramps and no signs," says Nilesh Singit,
a disability rights activist.
The hospitality industry is no better. "The Oberoi has
an accessible toilet but inside one of its rooms. The
Taj got one only after ADAPT held a conference
there," says Sancheti.
Hospitals, one would think, would be better equipped.
But that's not the case. "There are no accessible
toilets and many sections don't have ramps," says
Sancheti, adding: "This is harming India economically
too. With the medical tourism boom, more disabled
people are coming to the city. We must serve their
needs better if we want to encourage them to come
here."
Delhi, it seems, is no better. Despite attempts by
NGOs, social activists and the media, the picture is
discouraging. The city is getting a major face-lift
for the Commonwealth Games in 2010 but once again,
builders are paying scant attention to the needs of
the physically challenged.
The Delhi Transport Corporation buses look plush and
modern but fall short when it comes to accessibility
to the disabled. "The absence of curbed ramps
makes it impossible for the wheelchair-bound to get on
board," says Javed Abidi, an activist.
The railway stations, forget accessible, are downright
hazardous. Lack of warning signs, tactile blocks and
little security makes travelling a dangerous
prospect for the blind.
Most government buildings are not disabled-friendly.
And while modern banking and retailing may have
brought about a consumer revolution, there is no way
wheelchair users can use ATM machines and trolleys at
retail stores.
But it's not all bleak. In Mumbai, the K Raheja Corp
is ensuring all its constructions are
disabled-friendly. Both the InOrbit mall and Shoppers'
Stop
have wheelchair-accessible toilets on every floor and
ramps built to international specifications. "The cost
of making these changes is minimal. And we
get more business due to them," says the group's
senior architect Madhuri Khandekar.
At the state level too, several positive steps have
been taken. The high court had ordered all government
buildings to get disabled-friendly by 2005; the
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has
made it mandatory for all new buildings within its
jurisdiction to do the same. "The last three years
have seen some changes," says Sancheti. "It's not that
people don't care, they just don't think."
In Delhi, the DTC recently reconstructed its bus bays
to make it accessible to the physically challenged.
And the Delhi Metro is already disabled-friendly.
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