Mean city streets not for the disabled

Even as the world marked another Disability Day on Saturday, crossing a road, accessing a public office, market or park in the city remain arduous tasks for the disabled.

With hardly any Braille signage for the blind and very few ramps for the wheel chair bound in government offices, the state capital is anything but disabled-friendly.

"I feel insecure while crossing a road. No traffic signal has a voice guidance system or tactile zebra crossing to negotiate the path by a blind person," said Sannyash Behera, coordinator of the Odisha Disabled People's Network, who is visually challenged himself. The railway platforms don't have a cutting edge, which could guide a blind person about the platform end.There is no ramp for changing platforms for the orthopedically-challenged either, he pointed out.

But more than the lack of physical infrastructure, what is worrisome is people's attitude towards the disabled, Behera stressed. "Few would vacate seats reserved for the disabled in city buses. The reserved compartments in trains are occupied either by passengers traveling without ticket or railway employees," he said. Similarly, vehicles rush past a blind man, without bothering to give them a safe passage, he said.

Conceding that there is a huge gap to be bridged to make the city disabled-friendly, government authorities said attempts are being made but changes can't be expected overnight. "I agree the roads are not at all disabled-friendly. However, public offices have appropriate signage and are being made approachable for the disabled by making ramps and wheel chairs available," said Kasturi Mahapatra, commissioner for persons with disability. She stressed on the need to create awareness so that people develop more sensitivity towards the needs of the disabled.

Incidentally, the Directorate of Persons with Disabilities has no ramp to the first floor where the director sits. "No person with loco-motor disability can ever go to the director," said Sannyash Behera of Odisha Disabled People's Network. Town planners nevertheless said approach paths and disabled-friendly toilets are being ensured in all public buildings.

"While making any project plan, its friendliness to disabled persons is always being considered. Even in private buildings, we ensure that they have lifts, signage and approach paths," said Prashant Patnaik, director, town planning.

Real estate developers though said not much thought is being spared for the disabled in private constructions so far, but that they would mull over how best buildings can be made disabled-friendly. "We will take it up at our level as a responsibility to make buildings more disabled-friendly. Though lifts are being made in the highrises, due care can be taken to make the approaches to the buildings and the premises more disabledfriendly. Those possibilities will be explored," said D S Tripathy, president of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), Odisha chapter. The disabled in the city should not aspire to have friendlier roads anytime soon.

Though two national highways crisscross the city, the new decongestion plan has nothing for the differently-abled. Though around four underpasses will come up on the highway in the city, none will have ramps. "These will have steps. There is no special consideration for the disabled but the footpaths being developed alongside the NH can be userfriendly to all categories of people," said A K Ray, project director NHAI Orissa. Three foot overbridges being planned by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) at Vani Vihar, Master Canteen and Sriya Square too will be steps, not escalators for the disabled.

As far as city parks are concerned, however, the wheelchair-bound will have reasons to cheer soon. A park will soon come up exclusively for them. Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), BMC and Saheed Nagar Socio-cultural Society (a citizen's group) plans to build the park at an estimated Rs 3 crore in Saheed Nagar through public private partnership.