Disabled to park in their own space

“Today the disabled are driving their own vehicles, even the blind and the mentally retarded can own vehicles and employ drivers, and they need certain facilities to make life more convenient for them,” says Dr Abdul Salam, officer on special duty, Directorate of Social Welfare. The directorate, which has circulated a note inviting names and addresses of handicapped people desirous of utilising the service, is expecting at least 50 people with motorised vehicles to come up in the first instance and more as and when they get to know about the facility. “Sympathetic consideration is being given to whatever is practically possible for the handicapped people,” confirms Prakash Pawar, Deputy Commissioner, Traffic. “Reserving space for the vehicles of the handicapped is a beginning and as more concerns come to light more measures will be taken,” he says. The traffic police is awaiting participation from the disabled and their associations and would look forward to hearing from them.

“Freedom of mobility is important for the handicapped. It is not charity that the disabled are looking for, we are demanding our rights,” says Dr Salam. The Directorate has asked interested disabled persons including the deaf and the blind living in the city to give details of their residential addresses, vehicles with registration numbers, nature of disability and locations requested for parking to the office.

Says Deputy Commissioner of Police (traffic) Prakash Pawar, “We have been wanting to do something for the handicapped and as soon as we get the list of names from the directorate the plan will be set rolling.”