Building a city for physically challenged : Kochi

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Public space continues to be a nightmare for the disabled : 

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How difficult is it for a disabled person to navigate through the streets of Kochi ?

While the debate over the pros and cons of the latest version of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill continues all over the country, rules have not been of much help to the physically challenged in Kochi when it comes to access to public spaces. It is unimaginable for a physically challenged person to take public transport or approach a public office without help from a second person.

“The idea behind making public spaces disabled-friendly is that a disabled person should be able to navigate without any aid. Kochi is not disabled-friendly city,” says architect S. Gopakumar. “There are no ramps or easy access slopes to footpaths. In some foreign countries, buses lift wheelchairs into the vehicle. Road barriers or crossings should have special warning tiles on the ground for the convenience of the blind,” he says.

While all these measures are part of the construction code in some foreign countries, disabled persons in the city still have to depend on help. “I have to take an autorickshaw or a taxi to go to and from my workplace every day. The cost of living thus becomes high for a person with disability,” says Paresh, a city resident. Being a film journalist, Paresh also finds it difficult to go to most movie theatres in the city in his wheelchair.

Most public buildings and offices too remain out of bounds for the disabled. “It is difficult for us to approach even key buildings like courts and police stations. It seems that even the thought of making buildings accessible to all has not entered the mind of the authorities. There is a silent oppression of the physically challenged,” says Anita, a city resident who completed her bachelor’s degree under the Indira Gandhi National Open University. She visited some of the colleges in the city and found that while at least some of them had ramps, hardly any of the structures had lifts.

The National Building Code guidelines rule that all buildings should conform to design principles that accommodate the needs of the disabled. The code is not always followed while new buildings are designed. “Something needs to be done to make older buildings disabled-friendly too. Nothing has been done about older structures,” says Mr. Gopakumar.

Most courts, railway and bus stations, and government offices were built before the revised building code came into force. Until existing structures are redesigned and universal design made mandatory in new constructions, the disabled people will find it much harder to move around in Kochi.

It is unimaginable for a physically challenged person to take public transport or approach a public office without help from a second person.


Source : The Hindu , 17th Feb 2014