Poor infrastructure concerns ahead of the disability meet Posted: Sun Jun 12 2011, 00:06 hrs New Delhi:
Delhi, is set to host a major international event for disabled persons in August, but in terms of infrastructure, the city is woefully unprepared for it. The issue was brought to the fore at a press conference, organised by Disabled Peoples' International (DPI), on Saturday. The DPI, in association with the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People, will organise a regional workshop in Delhi from August 18 to 21. The workshop aims to accelerate the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Speaking to reporters, Secretary General of DPI India Javed Abidi said the event would see hundreds of delegates from India and the Asia Pacific region taking part and his prime concern was accommodation and transport. "I have been to every 5star and 3star hotel in the city and in all of them I have found only one room that has been allocated for disabled persons." In terms of transport, Abidi pointed out that it was not just Europe and America that were ahead of us. "In order to transport people with non-foldable, electric wheelchairs, we need special vans. I'm sorry to say that I have seen such vehicles even in countries like Dubai, Vietnam, China and Sri Lanka, but none in Delhi." Speaking along with him, Saowalak Thongkuay, Regional Development Officer for DPI Asia Pacific Region, said that the focus of the conference would be to bring disability issues within the broader ambit of human rights mechanisms and to revise existing laws to meet the convention. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/poor-infrastructure-concerns-ahead-of-the-disability-meet/802408/ Vikas Kapoor, MSN Id: dl_vi...@hotmail.com, Yahoo&Skype Id: dl_vikas, Mobile: (+91) 9891098137. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
