| Civil Sectt Srinagar is disabled unfriendly | | No ramp, no assistance for disabled | |  Mohammad Sarfaraz
Early Times Report
srinagar, May 15: At a time when the government is spending huge sum of money on the security of ministers and bureaucrats, there are miserable facilities for disabled persons visiting Civil Secretariat Srinagar.
The disabled persons, who mostly come from far-off places of the state, are left to fend for themselves as there is no one for their assistance who could guide or help them to reach the officials concerned. Shockingly, there is no ramp at the main gate of the Civil Secretariat.
When a disabled person enters into the premises of the Civil Secretariat, like other visitors, he/she has also to go through proper security.
"But irony of the fact is that government has not put in place any arrangement for the assistance of these disabled persons who come from far off places to meet their representatives or for any other work," sources told Early Times.
They said one can imagine that if there is no proper arrangement for disabled persons at the highest seat of government, what would be the fate in other/down-level offices.
"The authorities should make Civil Secretariat, both at Srinagar and Jammu, friendly for persons with disabilities," said the sources.
Rights activist, Rasikh Rasool said that no assistance is being provided to disabled persons. He said he saw a disabled man from Bandipora struggling at the Civil Secretariat. "The man told me that he is visiting the Secretariat from last four years to get a tricycle and for other issues," but to no avail," Rasool said.
"I found this disabled man virtually crawling from top floor to ground floor of the secretariat. No assistance whatsoever was provided to him. A security person who was standing there asked him to move away when I told him why he wasn't using a lift," Rasool said.
"I request the state government to have some mercy on disabled persons, and please adopt friendly/humanitarian approach towards disabled persons," he said.
"When the government is spending huge sum of money on the security of ministers and other VVIPs why cannot they provide assistance to the disabled persons so that they could feel comfortable," he asked.
Rasool said that government should keep a group of 10 to 15 people in the Civil Secretariat for the assistance of disabled persons who could help them to reach different offices in the Secretariat. Besides, there must be wheel chairs available in the Secretariat for old aged and disabled persons. |
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