OLD GOA
The State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities Gurudas Pawaskar has imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on the Tiswadi BDO and the Curca panchayat secretary under the Right of Persons with Disabilites Act, 2016.
The fine was imposed after Curca local Manguesh Kuttikar had complained that the BDO and the panchayat failed to comply with the directions of the Disabilities Commission to remove the steps on a traditional pathway and build a ramp with a gradient ratio of 1:12 metres.
Kuttikar informed The Goan that the steps were converted into a steep ramp with a gradient of 1:1 metres and not 1:12 or 1:10 metres as prescribed in the Harmonised Guidelines Standard of Universal Accessibility in India 2021.
Imposing the fine, the Commissioner observed that both the Curca panchayat and the Tiswadi BDO failed to comply with the directives of the Commission and granted them a time of two-weeks to deposit the same in the form of demand draft in the name of the Commissioner.
