Koshi Province lacks disabled-friendly infrastructures

BY NAWARAJ KATTEL,Biratnagar, Feb. 11: People with disabilities have been facing challenges while receiving services at hospitals and offices of the local level governments in Koshi Province. When the National Federation of the Disabled conducted an accessibility audit on 22 governmental offices in four districts of the Koshi Province, it was found that the majority of the offices do not have accessible physical infrastructure for persons with disabilities.

Krishna Mandal, 35, of Shanti Chowk in Biratnagar Metropolitan City-1, is disabled by birth as he was born without both legs. He arrived at the Koshi Hospital, Biratnagar, to meet the medical superintendent. Unfortunately, there was no accessible physical infrastructure for him to visit the office of the medical superintendent, located on the first floor. However, Mandal reached the office by crawling on the staircase. 

The story of Mandal represents challenges faced by the disabled in their everyday life. Chairman of the National Federation of the Disabled in Koshi Province, Nabin Dhungel, said that it would have been easy for the disabled to receive services if the buildings had included disabled-friendly physical infrastructures. 

He said, "The people's representatives like ministers, mayors, deputy mayors, chairpersons and others who are responsible towards addressing the issues of the people do not need to set up their offices on the first or second floor. 

If the buildings don’t have disabled-friendly physical infrastructure, they could shift their offices to the ground floor." Additionally, implementation of the "Accessible Physical Infrastructure and Communication Services Directive for Persons with Disabilities 2013" seems to be very weak, he said.

Earlier, the National Federation of the Disabled had conducted an accessibility audit on 10 offices in Biratnagar, Damak Municipality of Jhapa and Koshi Rural Municipality of Sunsari. The structures included the High Court Biratnagar, Koshi Hospital, Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Road Infrastructure and Urban Development, National Human Rights Commission, District Administration Office Morang, District Police Office Morang, District Government Attorney's Office and Biratnagar Metropolitan City. 

Many offices were found lacking disabled-friendly physical infrastructures. Santosh Pandit, who has been monitoring accessible physical infrastructures in Koshi under the National Federation of the Disabled in Koshi Province, said that a few offices had started making their buildings accessible to the disabled. He said that the report of the audit was sent to the concerned offices and the Ministry of Social Development of Koshi Province. 

According to the report, the Ministry of Road Infrastructure and Urban Development has made the office premises accessible in recent times.

He said, "After the audit, some offices have been improved, but attention has not been paid to creating structures based on the instructions." 

The accessibility audit suggested that the office buildings could be made accessible for the disabled at a low cost without spending much. 

The National Federation of the Disabled had also organised training for engineers of local bodies of Koshi Province to make the new structures fully accessible to the physically challenged persons.  Similarly, the preparations were underway to bring together the four districts for such training in the coming days.