THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Though the Election Commission has promised accessible elections this year, with ramps at all polling stations and other facilities for the differently-abled to be able to vote, upon inspection of some ramps at polling booths across the state, the disability sector has found that the ramps are unsafe.
Writing to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kunal IAS on Tuesday, Initiative for Disability Awareness Rights and Empowerment (iDARE), an NGO registered in Goa, said that the ramps were "so clumsily created, it showed an utter lack of understanding of accessibility."
Volunteers from the NGO made a preliminary visit to the polling booths at the Massano do Amori, in Panjim and noted that the ramp there was "a disappointment."
"The gradient of the ramp is too steep and way above the required ratio of 1:12. There are no railings or grab rails either. In one of the booths the ramp is so clumsily created that it shows an utter lack of understanding of accessibility," wrote Monika Singh, secretary of iDARE.
Singh stated that the NGO had been informed by the Department of Social Welfare that the PWD, who is executing the work of making booths accessible, had been directed to erect the ramps according to harmonised guidelines. "However the truth on the ground is that it is a shoddy job clearly displaying lack of technical know-how," she said.
The NGO has asked to know who was the engineer tasked to make these ramps, and what is his/her know-how of accessibility harmonised guidelines. The letter goes on to say that in most polling stations, the ramp is far from ready. An official told them that the accessibility work would be completed a couple of days before polling day. "The question arises as to why this work was delayed so much. And now if there are any rectifications required, they will not be possible in two days till the polling happens," laments the NGO.
