Chennai: Despite spending Rs 39 crore for constructing a new annexe building, the Chennai Corporation has repeated mistakes of the past making ‘Amma Maaligai’ unfriendly for the differently-abled.
While officials are often keen to reiterate their commitment to providing the facilities that would make moving around for the differently-abled easy, it has failed to translate into affirmative action as far as the new building is concerned.
A look at the building would reveal its serious planning errors. The ramp that leads into the building is wedged with tiles that would make it extremely difficult for a wheelchair-bound person to navigate.
Tactile paving, which would help the visually impaired, is absent and so are announcement speakers. Although the building has four lifts, not one is reserved for use by the differently-abled. The other two lifts on the eastern and western sides of the building provide connectivity from the underground parking lot. However, to reach these lifts, one must climb a short flight of stairs from the parking lot.
The slight advantage of having different departments under one roof in the Amma Maaligai, is blown straight out of the door as there are no sign boards to guide the public.
Restrooms are not universally accessible as there are no sliding doors. There are no separate toilets for the differently-abled. While officials claim that “minor alterations” such as adding strips could be done, the differently-abled are not convinced. “The problem is that the state government is not leading a change in mentality from the forefront. Even today, the Secretariat complex is inaccessible for the differently-abled,” said S. Namburajan, secretary, TN association for the rights of all types of differently abled and caregivers.
Namburajan lamented that the Persons with Disabilities Act did not have penal provisions for such violations. In such a scenario, it was easy for officials to brush aside the importance of the law as mere guidelines.
While this was the state of affairs in Corporation-owned buildings, it then, perhaps, is no surprise seeing the local body’s attempts to make commercial buildings in the city provide differently-abled infrastructure come to nought.
When earlier this year, the Corporation issued notices to erring shops, hotels and complexes which did not provide barrier free access for the differently-abled, it also threatened to cancel licences as a penal measure if corrective measures are not undertaken.
“Only a circular instruction was passed. But enforcing the instruction is something that is practically not possible, at least not in old buildings,” clarified an official. “It is not that we cannot enforce. But, for instance, take a commercial building in the narrow streets of George Town area. If we are to ask the complex owner to put up a ramp, then he will most likely encroach on the footpath area or on the road itself. Because there are these practical difficulties, we are focusing in making at least new buildings differently-abled friendly,” the official said.
On cancelling licences, officials said they were treading carefully in the light of the traders body’s protests. “We are concerned that people like Vikramaraja, who have already protested stating that we are harsh on them with regard to providing licenses, will give us more problems,” an official noted.
A.M. Vikramaraja, president, Tamil Nadu vanigar sangankalin peramaippu, told DC that Chennai’s unplanned growth, courtesy, officials, cannot be corrected by imposing demands on traders. “We cannot allocate an extra two feet just for the purpose of installing ramps. Traders are helping the differently-abled to move around. So, the infrastructure is not necessarily needed. If such demands are imposed on us, then traders altogether will return our licenses to the corporation. The government itself will have to run the shops,” he said.
