Nagaland municipal affairs department asked to make facilities accessible to PwDs

The State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) court on July 24 directed the Nagaland Municipal Affairs Department to promptly implement measures to make the facilities under the Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) scheme accessible and functional for persons with disabilities (PwDs).

According to an official report on July 24, the SCPD has initiated a suo motu inquiry into the implementation of the 5 per cent reservation for PwDs in housing schemes in the state by the municipal affairs department.

On May 11, an SCPD team led by the state commissioner for persons with disabilities Diethono Nakhro and accompanied by municipal affairs department officials headed by additional director Solesul Tholre, conducted an accessibility inspection of buildings constructed under the BSUP scheme at Ruziezou, K Badze, and Meriema in Kohima.

The SCPD court ordered the municipal affairs department to restructure doorways inside the BSUP units earmarked for persons with disabilities to accommodate wheelchairs and other assistive aids easily.

It asked to equip all buildings and units designated for persons with disabilities with ramps and necessary provisions following the Harmonised Guidelines and Standards for Universal Accessibility in India 2021 and pave approach roads to the buildings and create accessible pathways inside the compounds where feasible.

It was directed to rectify all sewer lines and sanitary pipes that obstruct the movement of persons with disabilities, remove sewer pipes inside the toilets if necessary and replace all Indian-style commodes with western-style ones and remove raised platforms before commode installation.

The court further directed to install vertical and horizontal bars/grab bars/safety frames and hand bidets in every toilet and to clear all storing materials in the BSUP buildings stored since the CoVID pandemic for the buildings to function effectively.

It further asked the authority concerned to issue all notices/notifications for PwD beneficiaries in electronic and print media and broadcast them on radio and local news channels to ensure widespread accessibility.

The department was given three-month time to complete the above directions and submit an action taken report to the SCPD court.

The release added that in accordance with Section 37 (a), (b), and (c) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 and Section 44 of the Nagaland Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules 2019, the municipal affairs department had agreed to convert dwelling units on the ground floor of BSUP buildings into reserved category accommodation for PwDs.

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