Make all public buildings in T.N. differently abled-friendly within a year, HC tells State government

‘Government officials might be proceeded against if the deadline was not adhered to’

The Madras High Court on Monday directed the State government to make sure that all new as well as existing public buildings comply with the Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier-Free Built Environment for Persons with Disability and Elderly Persons issued by the Union Ministry of Urban Development in 2016. Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu ordered that the public buildings must be made differently abled-friendly within a year failing which government officials concerned might be proceeded against. The orders were passed on a public interest litigation petition filed by visually challenged advocate M. Karpagam through her counsel R. Prabhakaran. The judges recorded the submission of State Government Pleader P. Muthukumar that the harmonised guidelines, for making public buildings easily accessible to the differently abled as well as the elderly people, were issued by the Centre following a statutory obligation cast upon the government under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016.