NEW DELHI: Irked at the failure of agencies to conduct a 'disabled access audit' of city buildings, Delhi high courton Wednesday decided to demand an explanation from senior officials.
HC was exasperated that the authorities did not even comprehend the meaning of 'disabled access audit' that ensures all government offices, public buildings and transport are made disabled-friendly. A bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar directed all government agencies to furnish a list of buildings that are disabled-friendly and those where the audit has been undertaken.
The bench directed agencies, including PWD and Central PWD to ensure the audit was conducted for all buildings under their control. HC was reading the East Delhi Municipal Corporation's status report that claimed its buildings were disabled-friendly as they all had ramps. "Only ramps? Have you got disability audit done? What will a visually-impaired person do with ramps," it asked wondering what the point of the audit was if no measures were taken as a follow-up.
HC gave all agencies time till February 13 to explain the measures undertaken for physically disabled as well as visually and auditory impaired persons and asked the Delhi Police to submit status on the audit of its buildings, including all police stations.
The directions came during the hearing of a PIL filed by 29-year-old Nipun Malhotra seeking directions to make capital's roads, government offices and public transport friendly for disabled people. The plea has alleged that 'most public facilities' and public transportation, sidewalks, roads, footpaths to government buildings, are "woefully unequipped" to meet the needs of the disabled.
Malhotra has sought a 'disability audit' of public transport facilities and government buildings in the city.
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