The Hindu, 20th April, 2009 Staff Reporter
‘Take action against conductor who ill-treated people with disabilities’
COIMBATORE: Caliber Trust, an organisation working for the welfare of people with disabilities in Coimbatore, has urged the government to sensitise its officials on the rights of the disabled.
This follows complaints from a group of people with disabilities who were forced to pay the fare and humiliated by the conductor of a bus in which they were travelling. Six of them were visually impaired and one had serious orthopaedic impairment. They were travelling in a government bus from Tirupur to Coimbatore on Tuesday.
According to Surya Nagappan, Director of Caliber Trust, the conductor demanded full fare and refused to acknowledge the rule that people with visual impairment had the right to travel free of cost. “He refused to take a look at the ID cards that all of them carried and used abusive language against them,” alleges Mr. Surya.
The government has issued an order allowing travel concessions for people with physical disabilities. The incident is an indicator of the lack of awareness among government officials on the rights of the disabled, Mr. Surya observes.
Travelling in government buses is a nightmare for people with physical disabilities. The conductors often verbally abuse them and refuse to give them concession in the fare.
“Most buses refuse to let in people with disabilities and even if they do, they do not give enough time for the person with disability to board the bus. This has often led to accidents too,” says Srinivas Sathish, a B.Com (CA) student who is orthopaedically impaired. “When government buses do not stop, one can imagine the case of private buses,” he adds.
The government should organise training programmes to sensitise officials on rights of people with disabilities, says Pon. Chandran, Joint Co-ordinator of the People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Coimbatore. “Despite producing their national ID cards, they were overcharged and ill-treated by the conductor. This is gross violation of human rights,” he says.
“Unless action is taken against the conductor who did not discharge his duty well, the problem will go unnoticed,” Mr. Surya says. The government should provide ramps in public places for the benefit of the disabled. Issuing digital cards to people with disabilities will bring about a great change to their lives, he adds.
‘Take action against conductor who ill-treated people with disabilities’
COIMBATORE: Caliber Trust, an organisation working for the welfare of people with disabilities in Coimbatore, has urged the government to sensitise its officials on the rights of the disabled.
This follows complaints from a group of people with disabilities who were forced to pay the fare and humiliated by the conductor of a bus in which they were travelling. Six of them were visually impaired and one had serious orthopaedic impairment. They were travelling in a government bus from Tirupur to Coimbatore on Tuesday.
According to Surya Nagappan, Director of Caliber Trust, the conductor demanded full fare and refused to acknowledge the rule that people with visual impairment had the right to travel free of cost. “He refused to take a look at the ID cards that all of them carried and used abusive language against them,” alleges Mr. Surya.
The government has issued an order allowing travel concessions for people with physical disabilities. The incident is an indicator of the lack of awareness among government officials on the rights of the disabled, Mr. Surya observes.
Travelling in government buses is a nightmare for people with physical disabilities. The conductors often verbally abuse them and refuse to give them concession in the fare.
“Most buses refuse to let in people with disabilities and even if they do, they do not give enough time for the person with disability to board the bus. This has often led to accidents too,” says Srinivas Sathish, a B.Com (CA) student who is orthopaedically impaired. “When government buses do not stop, one can imagine the case of private buses,” he adds.
The government should organise training programmes to sensitise officials on rights of people with disabilities, says Pon. Chandran, Joint Co-ordinator of the People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Coimbatore. “Despite producing their national ID cards, they were overcharged and ill-treated by the conductor. This is gross violation of human rights,” he says.
“Unless action is taken against the conductor who did not discharge his duty well, the problem will go unnoticed,” Mr. Surya says. The government should provide ramps in public places for the benefit of the disabled. Issuing digital cards to people with disabilities will bring about a great change to their lives, he adds.
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