Several important government buildings including North Police Station, Fort ground and BDO offices in Vellore do not have ramp or lift facilities
Several important government buildings including North Police Station, Fort ground and BDO offices in Vellore do not have ramp or lift facilities Photo | S Dinesh

Several key buildings in Vellore not friendly for PwDs

While the SP office, North Police Station, and Fort grounds lack ramps, the OP building and taluk office have only ramps till the first floor.
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VELLORE: Several key government buildings in Vellore, including Adukkamparai government hospital’s outpatient (OP) building, the Superintendent of Police (SP) office, North Police Station, Fort grounds, and the taluk offices are not friendly to the 34,000 registered persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Vellore and more than 60,000 in Tirupattur and Ranipet.

While the SP office, North Police Station, and Fort grounds lack ramps, the OP building and taluk office have only ramps till the first floor.
Besides, PwDs in Vellore pointed out that many other police stations and Block Development Offices (BDO) also lacks the accessibility. District Differently-Abled Welfare Officer S Saravanan confirmed that taluk and BDOs across Tamil Nadu are inaccessible on the first floor due to a standardised building plan used statewide.

G Rajendran, district vice-president of the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARADAC), said they have been raising the issue for over a decade. He added that protests were also held, but there has been no solution. K Veerapandian, who has a congenital disability, said.

“When I went to the SP’s office to raise a complaint, he himself came outside the building to receive my petition. But that’s not the right solution. We should have accessibility to the building,” he said. “Even places like private marriage halls and cinema theatres do not have ramps. We are also entitled to entertainment,” he said.

A Gurumoorthy, another wheel-chair user, highlighted the challenges at Adukkamparai Government Hospital. There are no lift facilities for departments for ENT, dental, eye care, tuberculosis, and others which are on the first floor. “People carry us in wheelchairs to the first floor. It makes us completely dependent on others for something as basic as accessing medical care,” he said. Similarly, he noted that in taluk offices, the tahsildar’s office is on the first floor, making it impossible for PwDs to get their certificates or welfare benefits from the tahsildars.

As per Rights of People with Disabilities Act 2016, all public spaces should provide accessibility to PwDs in various aspects including accessibility for the physical environment, transportation, information and communications. The rules also said that existing buildings should be made accessible within five years of notification of the rules. In a judgement passed on November 8, 2024, the Supreme Court had said that these accessibilty are a fundamental right for PwDs.

Saravanan said new buildings adhere to the rules, but older ones built before 2016 do not adhere as the rules came later. He cited challenges in retrofitting structures like the Adukkamparai hospital OP building.“Even if doctors come down to see patients, the tests require access to the first floor. Adding a lift would mean demolishing the building, which isn’t feasible,” he explained.

A Public Works Department (PWD) official said they have submitted a proposal to construct a ramp for the Adukkamparai government hospital OP building and are awaiting approval.

District Collector V R Subbulaxmi told TNIE that she would discuss the matter with the PWD to find a solution.

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