DIMAPUR, JULY 24 (MExN): The Court of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD), Nagaland has given the Municipal Affairs Department 3 months time to make the buildings constructed under Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) scheme at Ruziezou, K Badze and Meriema in Kohima accessible and operational for the PwD beneficiaries to use and occupy.
The SCPD has directed that all doorways inside the BSUP units that are earmarked specifically for PwDs be restructured so as to cater to the ease of use of wheelchairs and other assistive aids.
All buildings and units that have been earmarked for PwDs should also be equipped with ramps and all other necessary provisions for the ease of PwDs as per the Harmonised Guidelines and Standards for Universal Accessibility in India 2021.
Further, it stated that approach roads to all the buildings should be paved and accessible pathways created inside the compounds where feasible. All sewer lines and sanitary pipes that are inconvenient to the movement of PwDs are also to be checked and rectified with removal of the sewer pipes that are located inside the toilets.
The SCPD added that it is imperative that all Indian style commodes be replaced with western style commodes and all raised platforms be removed before the installation of the commodes. Equally important is the installation of vertical and horizontal bars/grab bars/safety frames and hand bidets in every toilet.
The court further implored that the concerned authority whose materials are being stored in the BSUP buildings since the CoVID pandemic be directed to remove all the materials so that the buildings can start functioning at the earliest.
Further, the court urged that henceforth, all notices/notifications for PwD beneficiaries be published in electronic and print media and broadcasted on radio and other local news channels since many of the PwDs do not have access to the concerned government departments or local panchayats to avail such information.
.jpg)
.jpg)
