A prominent disability rights activist has lodged a formal complaint with the Uttar Pradesh State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, highlighting the continued inaccessibility of the Ghaziabad district collectorate. This comes nine years after the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPDA), 2016, was enacted and over three years past the deadline for making existing public buildings universally accessible.
Activist Details Systemic Failures at District HQ
In his complaint, Professor Satendra Singh, who has a 70% locomotor disability and is a member of the district-level committee under the RPDA, detailed his distressing experience during a visit on December 9. He found the main administrative building of the district lacking the most basic facilities mandated by law. The three-storey building has no functional lift, forcing all visitors to use stairs to reach offices on upper floors. Furthermore, the building lacks accessible toilets, reserved parking for persons with disabilities, and tactile tiles in corridors for those with visual impairments.
Singh pointed out that benches placed in the corridors further restrict movement for wheelchair users. "I was told at the enquiry desk that the 3-storey building has no lift and that visitors must use the stairs," Singh stated, underscoring the daily barriers faced by citizens. He emphasized that this denies dignified access to governance for an estimated 1.4 lakh persons with disabilities in Ghaziabad district.
Hollow Symbolism and Legal Violations Cited
The activist remarked on the irony of the sculpture "Hum Log" (We the People) installed at the collectorate, which rings hollow when a significant section of the population remains excluded. He noted that despite the Accessible India Campaign completing a decade and repeated directives from state-level advisory boards, the district's most important governance building remains off-limits.
In his complaint, Singh cited specific violations of Sections 40, 44, and 45 of the RPDA, 2016. He has urged the State Commissioner to issue directives to the District Magistrate (DM) to ensure time-bound accessibility modifications. His demands include:
- Publishing a clear and actionable accessibility plan for the collectorate.
- Involving persons with disabilities in the planning and implementation phases.
- Ensuring all mandated facilities are installed promptly.
Official Response and Interim Measures
When contacted, Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ravindra Mander acknowledged the issue. "We will try to rectify the issues with the building," Mander told TOI. As an interim measure, he stated that officials with offices on upper floors would be instructed to hold their public grievance meetings on the ground floor to mitigate the access problem temporarily.
The case puts a spotlight on the gap between policy and ground-level implementation in ensuring inclusive public infrastructure, years after crucial legal deadlines have passed.
