BHOPAL (Madhya Pradesh):
Titled Samaanta- Accessibility for all, her campaign is already on social media. And once the current upsurge in the Covid-19 cases subsides, she plans to take it to the ground level. With the help of volunteers, she proposes to conduct an audit of all public places in the city to find out whether and to what extent they are disabled-friendly. We will interview heads of institutions and sensitise them towards the needs of disabled people, she told Free Press.
Poonam, who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, said while Swachhata Bharat Abhiyan has received much attention, Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (a campaign launched by the Government of India for achieving universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities) is being ignored. Just as cities are ranked under Clean India campaign, why shouldnít they be ranked under the Accessible Indian Campaign too, she demanded to know.
Where is the Accessible India Campaign? Or is it limited to a few specific buildings and limited areas? Or is that no one is concerned about accessibility, neither our governments nor our society? she said.
Ever since I remember, I have faced difficulties in accessing public places, she says. Whether it is schools or colleges, cinemas or restaurants, none are designed keeping Persons with Disabilities in mind. I had to be lifted bodily to enter colleges and universities when I went there to give my motivational lectures. They would spend crores on constructing palatial buildings but not a couple of thousands on building a simple ramp, she said.
When she visited MP Tourismís Halali Retreat recently, she found that the place was not accessible to people of her class. If this is the condition of a place run by the government, you can imagine the state of places run by private entities, said Shroti adding, it doesn't need much money to make any place disabled-friendly. It only needs sensitivity.
Shroti, who was felicitated by the then President Pranab Mukherjee in 2016 for her work for the welfare of disabled people, wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020, drawing his attention to indifferent attitude of authorities towards problems faced by the disabled. I feel that the government would do nothing. We will have to help ourselves, she said.
Need sensitive people like Digvijiya
Poonam recalled that around Diwali last year, she visited residence of former chief minister Digvijaya Singh to meet him. I saw no ramp there and I pointed this out to Digvijaya ji. He immediately said that he would get one built, she said. Within few days, the former chief minister's office telephoned her to say that the ramp has been constructed and also sent WhatsApp photos of same to her. Two days back, I again visited the place and was delighted as I entered his office without problems. We need more sensitive people like him, she added.
