The Centre on Monday gave the Delhi government a week’s time to come up with a complete list of all buildings under its jurisdiction, and whether or not they are accessible to the disabled.
On Monday, hosting the first meeting of Delhi government stakeholders to make the Capital a model-accessible city, the Union Ministry of Social Justice had asked all departments to come prepared with such a list, said K.V.S. Rao, a director in the Ministry’s Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD).
A year after the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act came into force, requiring all public buildings — whether owned by government or private companies — to be made accessible to the disabled within five years, most departments in Delhi do not even know how many of their own buildings need to be retrofitted to comply with the law. “In one week’s time, we should have the list...Then we will be able to assess what work remains to be done,” said Mr. Rao, emphasising that implementation and monitoring of the law lies with the State governments.
Constitutional obligation
“This is no longer a social obligation, it’s a constitutional obligation,” said Shakuntala D. Gamlin, DEPwD Secretary, who chaired the meeting
The Central Ministry hopes to showcase increased accessibility in Delhi’s iconic buildings, tourist hotspots, parks, hospitals and major public spaces by December 3 which is observed as the World Disability Day.
Officials from the municipal corporations, Central and State Public Works Departments, Delhi Police, Delhi Metro, Delhi Transport Corporation, Delhi Development Authority and the education, social welfare, culture and financial services departments were among those who attended.
“It may not be feasible to implement full accessibility in all areas of Delhi by December 3,” said Usha Batra, Additional Director General of Architecture at the CPWD.
Lack of clarity flagged
She suggested that a smaller section of the city be chosen to showcase accessibility instead.
Several stakeholders flagged the lack of clarity about roles and funding sources as hurdles in implementing the law. For example, if police stations need to be retrofitted, what are the roles of the Delhi Police and the PWD which maintains State government buildings?
“Theoretically and legally, every public authority is responsible to make their own spaces accessible. How you get funds is your own headache,” said State Commissioner for Disabilities T.D. Dhariyal, adding that accessibility requirements must be kept in mind during the budget allocation process.
“Many departments don’t even know how much they need to budget to comply with the Act. It is up to the implementing agencies to make an assessment of needed resources.”
