Deccan Herald: New Delhi:
Friday, March 14, 2014.
A 2007
Supreme Court judgment ruled that special facilities need to be put in place to
make polling booths more accessible for persons with disabilities.
However, an
RTI reply has revealed that disabled persons in the capital are likely to face
trouble while casting vote in the Lok Sabha elections to be held on April 10.
All the
election offices also admitted that they do not even have any data on the
number of persons with physical, visual, hearing/speech, and psychological
disabilities.
“No such type
of record is maintained,” replied Prem Chand, Assistant Electoral Registration
Officer (Timarpur). Vikas Goyal, Returning Officer Assembly Constituencies
(AC)-20 (Chandni Chowk), said: “No such information is available in this
office.”
Some of the
polling stations further said they do not have permanent ramps for wheelchair
users, accessible toilets for wheelchair users, and designated or reserved
parking for disabled persons.
They,
however, claimed that personnel at the polling stations ensure that physically
challenged electors are given priority for entering the polling station without
having to wait in the queue for other electors, and all necessary assistance
are provided to them.
“Full
facility is provided to such electors to take their wheelchairs inside the
polling station. In the polling stations, where permanent ramps have not been
provided, temporary ones are provided,” a reply added.
Bansh Raj,
Returning Officer AC-25 (Moti Nagar), further highlighted that polling
personnel are also specifically briefed before elections.
“During the
training sessions, polling staff were described on access issues of persons
with disabilities. Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation
(SVEEP) activities are being held from time to time for awareness of voters,
including disabled persons,” he said.
However RTI
activist Satendra Singh, who is himself disabled, insisted that the claims need
to be verified since a majority of the venues are schools and colleges which,
as per his knowledge, rarely have ramps for wheelchair users.
“Few replied
honestly. All 170 ramps in Wazirpur and 171 ramps in Karol Bagh were
temporary,” he said.
“Since the
polling stations will be used in the next month’s elections, it becomes of
paramount importance to highlight the violations of 2007 Supreme Court
judgement and inadequacies of CEO Delhi in protecting electoral rights of
persons with disabilities,” Singh added. Singh is a doctor at the University
College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) and Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital.
The 2007
judgment
In the 2007
judgment, the Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission to give
appropriate directions to officers manning the polling stations regarding the
special facilities for the physically disabled electorate.
It also said
advance and sufficient publicity should be given in print and electronic media
about the availability of the facilities for the electors with disability to
exercise their franchise.
“Further, its
observers should also satisfy that such facilities are given. The absence of
such facilities should be notified to the respective state government for
remedial and future action,” the apex court had said in the order.
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