PANJIM: The Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) has constituted a 10-member Advisory Committee for implementation of Universal Accessibility Standards across all Smart City projects.
While Secretary, Goa State Disability Commission has been appointed as the Chairman, the Chief General Manager of IPSCDL, has been appointed as the Member and Convenor.
The other members of the committee are representative of Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP); Avelino de Sa, President, Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG); Prakash W Kamat, Advisor, Goa State Advisory Board on Disability; Prasad Joshi, Secretary Association of the Deaf; Elizabeth Kurien, Secretary, Towards Inclusion Everywhere in Society (TIES)’ Vishant Nagvenkar, representative, Disability Alliance for Inclusive Goa; Radhesh Varty, representative Haemophilia Society, Panaji Chapter and Abhijit Murugkar, Accessibility Consultant.
The committee will monitor project development to verify that the described standards of harmonised guidelines and standard for universal accessibility in India 2021 are being followed at every stage, from planning to execution. It will conduct regular audits and inspections to assesss the accessibility features of Smart City infrastructure, facilities and services so as to help identify any deficiencies or areas needing improvement and suggest corrective actions to be taken.
The committer will engage with the community and advocacy groups to understand the diverse needs and concerns of different population groups. By actively involving citizens in the enforcement process, the committee would ensure that accessibility standards truly meet the needs of all residents and visitors in Panjim.
