Maintain tactile paths on war footing, directs HC

‘To make navigation easy for visually impaired persons’

The Delhi High Court on Thursday said maintenance of tactile paths on city pavements should be done on “war footing” to make navigation easy for visually impaired persons.

A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar said the authorities should make Delhi University’s South and North campuses disabled-friendly as a pilot project.

Action plan

It asked senior officials to physically inspect the spot and prepare an action plan to ensure immediate steps in this regard. “Continuity of tactile marks on pavements should ensure easy navigation by any persons, especially the visually impaired,” the Bench said.

It said obstructions created by potholes, poles and shopping kiosks on pavements in North Campus made it difficult for the differently able to navigate.

The Bench also asked the Public Works Department and the North and South Delhi Municipal Corporations to conduct an inspection and file their status report before the next date of hearing on March 6. The observations and directions came during the hearing of a petition by DU student Himanshu Goswami, who has sought removal of encroachments and maintenance of tactile pavements in Delhi.

The plea said a direction was necessary so that the visually impaired have the freedom to move around without any obstruction. It sought direction to the authorities concerned to consider introducing tactiles at public places and in other parts of the city for the benefit of the visually impaired people.