[sustran] DU shows urgency to fix paths

[Alok Jain]

DU shows urgency to fix paths 

Letter To LG Says Broken Pavements Pose Risk To Disabled 

Shreya Roy Chowdhury TNN 

New Delhi: Delhi University may have to roll up its sleeves and do the heavy work itself.Noting the deplorable condition of pavements and pathways,rendering North Campus inaccessible to disabled students,university authorities have written to the lieutenant governor of Delhi for permission to undertake the necessary modification/renovation of pavements and pathways along roads in North Campus on priority basis. University authorities,concerned and exasperated in equal measure,say DU will not only get the job done but also foot the bills.
On March 3,Nidhi,a finalyear law student at DU with an orthopedic disability,was hit by a motorcycle.The accident put her out of commission for three months and prompted 685 students with disabilities to make a representation to the Equal Opportunities Cell (EOC) on March 9 demanding a more disabled-friendly campus.
The letter to LG Tejendra Khanna,which was written this week,mentions Chhatra Marg,Mall Road,Sudhir Bose Marg and Cavalry Lane adding that conditions are steadily deteriorating. Electric poles have been installed on the tactile path (used to help the visually impaired find their way) in front of St Stephens College, complains an official.
The potholed pavements are difficult to negotiate for the disabled.During the rains the holes fill with water, says Nidhi who is now back.
The deplorable conditions and obstructions pose a grave risk for our disabled students, says the letter from the registrar which also reminds that India is a signatory of the UNCRPD (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability).
It is unfortunate that the government is not doing anything, says Dr Vipin Tiwari,officer on special duty,EOC.The EOC has been working toward making DU institutions accessible.Accessibility audits were conducted in DU in 2007 and institutions were encouraged to make changes.Tiwari will soon be starting a post-audit.Roads and pavements outside colleges,however,are not the universitys responsibility.
Numerous letters have been written to civic agencies.We have minutes of a meeting with the LG in 2010 in which a plan was created.Nothing was implemented, says a senior university official,Instead,during the Commonwealth Games,pathways were made inaccessible.We have written to MCD,PWD and even traffic cops.Apparently its the PWDs responsibility.But nothing happened. 
The one-sided correspondence having failed to elicit any response PWD didnt respond to TOIs queries either university authorities have decided to take the repair work upon themselves.Officials say that money for the repair work needed to protect the students with disabilities moving in the campus from any mishap, will come from the V-Cs fund.

Times View 

It is really a sad state of affairs when a university has to take upon itself the job of laying pavements because the civic authorities responsible for the job have failed to do it.It also shows how little we care for the disabled that repeated pleas by them that the poor state of the pavements was making it difficult for them to walk around failed to stir these agencies into action.If this the situation in a place of higher learning in Indias capital,we can well imagine how bad it would be elsewhere.The Lieutenant Governor must immediately order the MCD or the PWD or both to do the job.