APATHY TOWARDS THE DISABLED

APATHY TOWARDS THE DISABLED
Show cause notice served to ESG
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: The assistant commissioner for persons with disabilities has issued a show cause notice to the government agency, Entertainment Society of Goa, for failing to fully implement the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 at the Inox theatre.
The complaint was lodged by Kumudini Roy, who is paraplegic. She said in her complaint that the environment at Inox has been causing great inconvenience to disabled persons. She complained that seats for the disabled persons are wrongly positioned without considering the needs of the such persons and that there is no prominently marked parking area for vehicles transporting disabled persons to the theatre
The notice was sent to chief executive officer of the ESG on April 25, 2008. The matter will be heard by the state commissioner for persons with disabilities on May 23, 2008.
Deepak Srivastav, regional general manager of Inox Leisure Limited, in his reply has stated, “The multiplex is owned by the government of Goa and the ESG has granted us license to use, run and operate the complex. We cannot make any structural alterations to the complex on our own. You may approach the ESG for these”.
“There is a pathway made available from the parking lot to facilitate entry of wheelchairs into the auditorium. There is also a provision for wheelchairs and separate toilets for disabled people,” stated Srivastav in the letter dated March 14, 2008.
Meanwhile, CEO Nikhil Dessai in his reply on May 6 maintained that “there is neither deprivation nor violation, nor non-implementation of any rules, bye-laws, regulations, executive orders or instructions issued by the appropriate government or the local authorities.”
Addressing the issue of the provision of special parking facilities, Dessai said that directions have been given to provide slots in the parking area for disabled persons and that the same will be implemented within a week.

2008 May 21 Times Of India Goa