New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered the Public Works Department (PWD) to ensure that all foot overbridges (FoBs) in the city have clean and functioning lifts for the disabled people.
It also recorded an undertaking by the Delhi government’s department that some arrangement will be made for disabled persons to access 12 such FoBs where neither a lift can be installed, nor a ramp can be built due to space constraints.
“You have to make arrangements for the disabled. Some of these FoBs are not disabled-friendly at all,” said a bench of acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela while hearing a PIL.
Appearing for the PWD, standing counsel Tushar Sannu informed the bench that the agency plans to conduct a disability audit of 12 FoBs that are not fit for any type of construction of lifts or ramps.
He further submitted that while 13 FoBs have ramps, the agency is also installing lifts in them to improve facilities for the users, while 13 others can only have ramps but no lifts.
During the hearing, the petitioner challenged the claims made by the government and highlighted that his personal inspection of FoBs revealed that lift operators often shuttered the facility and disappeared, leaving the disabled in the lurch.
The HC took a serious view of the claim and asked the PWD to take “immediate steps” to ensure that lift operators assigned to these lifts perform their duties properly. The court said if anyone is found negligent, the government must take action.
The petition sought directions to authorities to adhere to requirements under the Right to Persons with Disabilities Act and pointed out that several FoBs in Delhi are not disabled-friendly and even non-functional. The plea sought direction for repairs, operations, and maintenance of elevators and escalators across foot overbridges in the national capital. This blasé attitude of authorities has left persons with disabilities and senior citizens unable to access such basic public infrastructure, the plea stated.
Last week, the PWD informed the court it maintains 118 FoBs under its jurisdiction, out of which 94 are disabled-friendly with either lifts or ramps or both.
HC had last year pointed out that many FoBs are in such a “pathetic condition” that “even a healthy person can’t use it” while examining if the structures were user-friendly for people with impairments. It highlighted the “sorry state of affairs” while ordering the PWD to repair over 100 FoBs immediately.
“Forget about the disabled, even healthy people can’t use the foot overbridges. It is a very sad reflection on you. The condition of these structures is pathetic,” the court said, adding that the “problem is fundamental” as the government had not pinned responsibility on erring officials.
