Madras HC Directive to Construct Disabled-friendly Public Buildings
The Madras High Court once again held that no new public buildings be constructed or sanctioned or planned without providing access to persons with disabilities. The First Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, which gave the ruling, also said the respondents, particularly the Public Works Department and its officials, should be acquainted with the governing statute and the national building code to ensure the mandatory instructions are fully adhered to. The Bench was passing further interim orders on a PIL petition on the issue. The Bench noted that the status report filed on 7th July did not indicate whether the public buildings across the State can be accessed by persons with disabilities. It is imperative that all public buildings, including court houses, must have access that may be used by persons with disabilities. Toilets must also be installed in public buildings which may be used by persons with disabilities, the Bench added.Since the status report filed did not indicate the measures taken or the number of buildings where access for persons with disabilities has been provided, the Bench called for a more detailed report when the matter comes up again and posted the matter to September 13.
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