HC seeks action plan for differently abled

Excelsior Correspondent

Srinagar, Oct 4: The High Court has directed the Governments of J&K and Ladakh UTs for placing the detailed action plan for providing facilities to the persons who are differently abled in both UTs.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Puneet Gupta while dealing with the PIL with regard to providing all facilities to the persons having different kinds of disability directed the General Administration Department, Social Welfare Department of both UTs to inform it as to what kind of steps have been taken so far for the conducting the sensitization programmes of disables.
The DB said the authorities have failed to file anything before Court as regard to detailed action plan dealing with all issues as noted by the court in our previous order.
It is after perusal of the updated status report filed by the SWD report Court had said the same does not give dates or on whose behalf it has been filed. The status report sets out two training programmes undertaken at Jammu and Srinagar and nothing more.
It was only in the month of February the information furnished by the Department of Social Welfare that the Government of India had approved release of Rs. 42.74 lakhs for creation of a barrier free environment in seven buildings located in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. The respondents had also stated that DPRs of 16 more buildings are stated to have been submitted to the Government of India recently.
Court while taking serious note of lackadiascal approach by the authorities of the SWD said they are unable to place before the court the steps taken for undertaking even a census of persons with disability as has been noted in the previous order passed last year.
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation and the traffic authorities are under direction to place before the Court their action plan and steps taken to ensure that the pavements and roads are disabled friendly. Court has also been informed that the issues relating to disability are not sufficiently addressed in engineering and architectural institutions and that this needs to be made a specific part of curriculum.
“The Secretary of Higher Education and Technical Education Department have to place before this Court the status report regarding the inclusion of courses and subjects relating to the rights and requirement of the disabled in the institutions undertaking education in engineering and architecture courses”, court directed.
Since the operation of J&K Reorganization Act 2019 for erstwhile State of J&K came into force and two UTs stand created, Court found it necessary to array the Commissioner / Secretaries of GAD and SWD for both UTs as parties in the petition and asked them to filed response on the issue of facilities available for differently abled in both UTs.
Court also directed Principal Secretary, Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to place a report regarding the notification of the rules under the Rights of Persons with Disability Act 1998.

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