Trade fair still out of bounds for elderly,physically challenged

In buildings where there are ramps,they have either cordoned off the area or blocked it with ropes,like the Gujarat Pavilion and Pavilion no 18. The Northeast Pavilion has no ramps and the staircases have no railings.

K. Bala,an 87-year-old came to the fair with his son and two grandchildren. While the ITPO-run vehicle dropped him to the Maharashtra Pavilion,there was no way he could climb the 20-odd steps in the constant jostling. He was found waiting outside while his family took a tour inside.

“When I was younger,I could climb a hundred stairs without waiting for breath. Now I can’t climb much but my grandchildren insisted that I come with them,” he said adding that he would be visiting the stalls that have been set up on the ground.

When ITPO was questioned about the lack of facilities for the old and the physically challenged,Soma Chakravartty,manager,PR,said it is for the individual pavilions to arrange them.

“At the time of designing the pavilions,we give them a list of instructions to follow. The list contains instructions on making pavilions disabled friendly,but it is upto the states to follow them,” she said.

Abha Negi,Director of Svayam,an NGO that works towards making the city accessible for all,says once ITPO starts making things comfortable for the elderly,it ill help the differently abled too.

“We may not all be physically challenged but we will all age at some time. Be it the trade fair or any other annual affair,it is always aimed for the youth. The old,the sick,the obese and the pregnant have no choice,” she said.

TN stall raided
Police on Monday raided the Tamil Nadu pavilion at the Trade Fair after receiving complaints about conches being sold illegally. Four people were arrested. The conches were on sale at the fair despite a ban on their sale.