The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought a status report from the city government on making foot overbridges disabled-friendly. The court recorded that as per a status report filed by the Delhi government, out of 110 foot overbridges, only 36 have mechanised assistance for disabled people like lift or escalators.
“(For) Those bridges which are not disabled-friendly, make some arrangement,” said a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad while hearing a plea to ensure accessibility to foot overbridges and other public amenities to specially-abled and senior citizens.
The petitioner claimed even where such facilities are available, they are not functional. The Delhi government counsel assured the court a survey will be carried out within four months and it would be ensured that all 110 foot overbridges under its jurisdiction are made disabled-friendly by installing lifts or constructing ramps, and prayed for time to complete the exercise.
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“List the matter after 3 months and let a status report be filed in respect of the work carried out,” the court said. Petitioner Pankaj Mehta, a lawyer, has submitted in his plea that public amenities such as elevators and escalators for the disabled and senior citizens are is in ruins and that they are non-functional in the national capital which is a "metropolitan and "developed" city.
The petition, filed through advocate R K Mehta, has sought directions to the authorities to ensure convenience of and full accessibility to lifts, foot overbridges and other public amenities to the specially-abled and senior citizens and ensure compliance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 protecting the fundamental right to equality, right of freedom to move freely and right to life with dignity under the Constitution.
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“The elevators in the foot overfridges are not operational across the year and absolutely no steps are being taken by the respondents to rectify the same. "That it is pertinent to mention that most of these foot over bridges have been constructed on extremely busy roads and the non-functional state of the elevators and escalators have effectively rendered the persons with disability and the elderly in a state of helplessness as they are unable to access even the roads which is prima facie violative of the fundamental rights of such citizens,” the plea has said. The matter will be heard next on March 23.
(With PTI inputs)
