Mumbai: Following a strong reminder from the Centre, the State government has decided to accelerate the implementation of the Accessible India Campaign, a Central scheme to make all State structures disabled-friendly.
Senior State government officers issued a warning to all departments on Monday, asking them to identify 50 most important buildings in the State and and making them accessible to persons with disabilities. Maharashtra been lagging in parameters set by the Centre for the national scheme, under which an audit has been done of 1,662 of 1,707 structures in 50 cities across the country.
The State is falling short in making transport systems accessible for the physically challenged. The notice to the Maharastra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) asking 570 bus stands to meet the requirements at the earliest. “We have directed MSRTC to equip bus stops with ramps, and reserve five seats in buses. Support bars, ring brackets and velcro belts will also be provided,” a State Transport Department officer said.
The Accessible India Campaign, or the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan, was launched on December 3, 2015 to ensure universal accessibility for persons with disabilities in the ‘built environment, transport system, and information and technology’. Eighteen organisations were empanelled as access auditors and 50 cities were selected.
Of the 45 buildings countrywide yet to be audited for access, some are in Maharashtra. “These structures were not audited due to various reasons, including lack of permissions, repetition of buildings on the list and demolition of structures,” an officer said.
Nationally, the audit reports for the 1,662 structures were submitted to nodal officers in each State, who will prepare a cost estimate for release of grant-in-aid. “858 proposals for structures to be retrofitted have been received and ₹83.93 crore disbursed to states for retrofitting of 393 structures,” a note from the Centre to the State government said.
