BHUBANESWAR: The first phase of making buildings and public places accessible to the physically challenged is expected to commence by September-end. The Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) has sought for a financial estimate from the Public Works Department and a couple of other agencies for the project.
A total of 50 installations including Government buildings, convention centres, cultural theatres, parks and community centres will be made disabled-friendly by the end of this year. A Delhi-based NGO Samarth conducted the accessibility audit during May-June this year and submitted the list of establishments to SSEPD Department.
The modifications will be holistic and comprehensive which would cater to disabilities of all kinds. Absence of ramps or elevators, lack of Braille signage and non-tactile flooring are some of the problems which PwDs face on a daily basis. Gates, ramps, elevators, toilets and waiting halls in buildings will be modified and made user-friendly for the PwDs.
The State Secretariat, Capital Hospital, Rabindra Mandap and Nandankanan are some of the places which will be taken up on priority basis. Though the National Building Code clearly specifies that there should be no discrimination towards the differently-abled in a built environment, many of the public buildings have overlooked this aspect. Following Bhubaneswar, the Centre would take up 25 to 100 buildings in Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Berhampur under Accessible India campaign strategy.
"Once the financial estimate is received, we would recommend it to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to sanction funds for the project," Director SSEPD Department Manasi Nimbhal said. The process will be completed by the end of this month and funds are likely to be released by the Centre in mid-August.
As per the latest census, there are 12.44 lakh PwDs in Odisha of which 6.74 lakh are males and 5.69 lakh females. To be specific, 2.63 lakh among them are visually impaired, 2.37 lakh hearing impaired and 68,517 speech impaired.
There are 2.59 lakh people in 'movement' category, 72,399 in mental retardation, 42,837 in mental illness and 1.72 lakh have other forms of disability. About 1.26 lakh persons in the State have multiple disabilities, the census stated.
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