Although the State Commissioner for Disabilities began functioning from September last year, not many are aware about its existence, with only two cases being registered till date. DIANA FERNANDES highlights the problems affecting disabled people in the State
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Earlier this week, members of the Disabilities Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) protested outside Institute Menezes Braganza building where the IMB lecture series was underway. Their contention was that the building was not disabled-friendly, despite several of years of complaining about the issue.
At the protest, DRAG president Avelino De Sa highlighted the constant reminders and orders that have been passed for installing a lift inside the building that will help those who have a difficulty walking up the stairs.
“They spent so much money on the renovation work, but failed to incorporate the lift in the plans. We had fought against the same issue with Maquinez Palace, and managed to get a lift installed there. We will continue our protests till a lift is installed here as well,” he said.
Such is the conviction with which the association works, that they also took up the cause of parking for the disabled in the city. Though still unresolved, the association members have taken several initiatives to make people aware of the need to adhere to spots that are marked for the disabled.
And to their assistance came the newly-arrived State Commissioner for the Disabled. In July 2015, in accordance with the Persons with The Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, as well as a Supreme Court order, the State was forced to set up a Commission of their own.
Unlike the SC, ST, human rights, children and women commissions where grievances are filed and orders being delivered on a daily basis, the newly-formed disabilities commission isn’t as lively as it should be. Since September 2015, there have only been two cases registered with the Commission.
For the amount of problems disabled people face, the Commission should have come as a welcome relief to nearly 33,012 persons (according to the 2011 census), but with little or no knowledge of existence of such a redressal facility, this is not the case.
Last year, the Directorate of Social Welfare received only ten cases pertaining to denial of rights to disabled persons. Until recently, these cases were presided over by the Secretary (Social Welfare) who was holding additional charge of the post of Commissioner for the disabled.
The only proof of existence of a functioning Commissioner today is a placard on a door as one enters the Social Welfare department along Panaji’s 18th June Road, which reads 'Mrs. Anuradha Joshi'. In the four months since she assumed office, Joshi has tried to create an awareness about the basic rights of the disabled, more importantly among the public than the community itself.
“People in Goa are well-educated and are generally aware of the rules, but often choose to be oblivious to it,” she says.
For her, the first important step is sensitization. The first event that she organised after taking over was an awareness workshop with officials of Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) on the issue of reservation of seats in local buses. The workshop was aimed at sensitizing bus conductors and drivers on the importance of maintaining reservation.
“In public transport, seats that are reserved for disabled persons are mostly occupied by the general public despite the presence of disabled people in the bus, thus forcing them to stand. The workshop that we had organized was well-attended, and it was a huge success for me,” she says, hoping to organise many more such events.
The next step, she hopes, is organising a workshop which will include students, and if possible, a campaign that she likes to call the 'moral police'.
“Buses departing from the bus stand normally have to wait in queues. And during this period, students in special uniforms could be allowed to enter the buses and ensure that disabled people, if any, are made to occupy seats reserved for them. They could also educate people in the bus on the rights of the disabled,” she says.
The aim, she says, would be to organise more such programmes, but paucity of funds is a stumbling block. The reason the Commission hasn’t received the money is due to the pending cabinet approval, reveal officials from the social welfare department.
Avelino De Sa, on the other hand, says the appointment of a full-time commissioner will work in the benefit of the community, which may even lead to an increase in the number of cases that are being filed.
“Since 1996, we’ve had a commissioner who would listen to cases as and when it was received. Having a full-time commissioner will only be beneficial for the disabled as the new Commissioner will only look specifically at cases related to disabled persons,” he says, but also expresses in the same breath the dismay of the government of not providing the required amenities for running the office.
Since taking office, Joshi has also taken up issues on a personal level, like the case at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in November. The area was found to be bereft of ramps and amenities for the disabled. Following a tip-off from a member of the community, the Commissioner wrote to the organizers, who immediately got these installed.
De Sa points out that having a Commissioner will also be a means to ending several of their long-pending issues, including backlog of reservation of government jobs and inclusive education.
At the national level, the implementation of the Accessible India campaign has also raised the association's hopes. Under the campaign, several cities were selected to be made disabled-friendly, with Panaji being in the list.
