On papers, the Mormugao taluka administration is duty-bound to provide barrier-free environment, which would enable people with disabilities and also senior citizens to move safely and freely for using the facilities at the government offices, but in reality majority of these government offices including some key offices of State administration are lacking of ramp facilities due to which not only the people with disabilities, but even the senior citizens are not able to go and participate without assistance to these offices.
In Mormugao, the lone ramp that exists is at the Mormugao municipal building and the ramp was built to cater to offices occupied by the Office of Deputy Collector Mormugao, Mormugao Mamlatdar and few other key offices. However, amongst 17 key offices of the State government, only five offices are those which somehow have access of through ramp that is used by the people with disabilities and senior citizens.
“Old and handicapped cannot go up on their wheelchairs to Mormugao Registrar’s office as there is no ramp no lift. To make your birth & death certificates or pay municipality bills at MMC office there is no ramp nor there is any lift to go up on first or second floor” explains 74-year-old senior citizen and a renowned freedom fighter from Vasco, Abha Dhargalkar.
A decade-and-half year back, the Central Government passed an order to create a barrier-free environment in consonance with the provisions of the Act. To simplify this process the Government of India (Ministry of Urban Affairs & Employment) first engaged into the process of amending/modifying the existing building bye-laws and now thereafter in the year 2002, the law was officially made applicable to all buildings and facilities used by the public.
But in reality likewise other government offices, majority of offices continued to violate the provision of act and today the citizens of Mormugao are left to face hardships. Ironically the officers in the Taluka administration even agree to heard people with disabilities and even senior citizens complaining about the hardships faced by them during any visit to important government offices, but as far as solution to the issue, they pass the burden on political leaders who are not making genuine efforts to construct long pending taluka administration building that can accommodate all government offices under one roof providing special facilities to disable person and senior citizens.
“It is true that there is need to have barrier-free design standards in all government officers that would satisfy anyone who is hampered in his mobility or functioning (as compared with a non-disabled person) at government offices. Although the recommendations are concerned exclusively with the requirements of disabled people, but the facilities once created would invariably make buildings more convenient for elderly persons and persons suffering from any kind of physical ailments” acknowledges a senior officer from Mormugao taluka administration under condition of anonymity.
Presently, the frequently visited offices where people with disabilities and senior citizens are facing hardships are the office of Mormugao Civil Registrar & Sub Registrar located at Karma Building, near KTC Bus stand, similarly the Office of Health Officer Urban Health Centre, Vasco, the office of Mormugao Municipality, Town and Country Planning, Office of Block Development Officer, Regional Transport Office, Inspector of Legal Metrology, Weights and Measures, Labour Commissioner’s Office, Inspector of Survey and Land Records and many more offices have no provision of a ramp for wheelchair users and no other means for those who cannot climb up using the stairs and lift facilities is a distant dream.
“I recently saw an old woman who was seated on a wheelchair. The lady was lifted physically along with the wheel chair by 4-5 men. The requirements of the registrar of physical presence of the person for taking photos on webcam and other purposes is correct, but it requires an effort by a physically unfit person. Though the new office is spacious it is obviously conceived without concern for the disabled” charged Peter Andrade, RTI activist from Vasco. Likewise Andrade, there are many more in Vasco has similar grievance, but there are hardly anyone who can listen to these genuine grievance and find out a solution.
In no time the officers of the State administration would start suggesting that the new taluka administrative building will be a solution to all these issues but hardly anyone would suggest of shifting of these obstacles and that is any since last five years there was no joint meeting (officials of taluka administration) held to seek solution to the issue.
