The State Commission for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) has made a slew of recommendations to the Municipal Affairs Department for making the buildings constructed under the Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) scheme accessible for persons with disabilities (PwDs).
The commission also gave three months to the department to comply with the directive and submit an action taken report.
SPCD directed that all doorways inside BSUP units earmarked specifically for PwDs be restructured so as to cater to the ease of use of wheelchairs and other assistive aid, while all buildings and units that had been earmarked for PwDs should be equipped with ramps and all other necessary provisions for the ease of PwDs as per the Harmonised Guidelines and Standards for Universal Accessibility in India, 2021.
It also called for paving the approach roads to the buildings and create accessible pathways inside the compounds where feasible.
It recommended checking of all sewer lines and sanitary pipes that were causing inconvenience to the PwDs and removal of those located inside toilets. According to SPCD, it was imperative that all Indian-style commodes be replaced with western style commodes and remove all raised platforms before the installation of commodes. It also recommended installation of vertical and horizontal bars/grab bars/safety frames and hand bidets in every toilet.
The commission implored the authority concerned whose materials were being stored in the BSUP buildings since Covid pandemic to remove them so that the buildings could start functioning at the earliest.
Further, the commission insisted that henceforth all notices/notifications for PwD beneficiaries be published in electronic and print media and broadcast on radio and other local news channels since many PwDs did not have access to the government departments concerned or local panchayats to avail such information.
It may be mentioned that a suo motu inquiry was initiated by the Court of SCPD regarding 5% reservation for persons with disabilities in housing schemes being implemented in the State. Subsequently, on May 11, 2023 an SCPD team led by disability commissioner Diethono Nakhro, along with department officials headed by additional director and head of Municipal Affairs department Solesul Tholre carried out an accessibility inspection of the buildings constructed under BSUP scheme at Ruziezou, K Badze and Meriema in Kohima.
The respondent – Municipal Affairs Department – stated that the dwelling units under BSUP on the ground floor would be converted to reserved category for persons with disabilities.
The SCPD court therefore made the recommendations to the respondent to urgently implement to make the BSUP facilities accessible and operational for the PwD beneficiaries to use and occupy.
