By Our Staff reporter
SHILLONG:
A signature campaign was organised on Friday at Khyndai Lad (Police Bazaar) to spread awareness on the importance of making Shillong accessible in transportation, especially for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
The campaign was titled Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities.
It was organised in collaboration with Barefoot Trust and Organisation of Persons with Disabilities.
Speaking to The Meghalayan, co-founder and director of Blind Lead Trust, Jitendra Dkhar said, “We want the state government to come up with good footpaths, which would be easy to navigate.”
He added, “We cannot go anywhere without an assistant, be it on the roads, hospitals, schools, government offices, hotels. We have reached 50 years of statehood, so we do not want the persons with disabilities to be left behind.”
Of pothole-ridden roads, Dkhar said their canes get damaged eventually due to the bad road condition.
With transportation not accessible currently, he said that taxi drivers also lack understanding.
“For example, we want the drivers to drop us at Malki Point and not elsewhere lest we lose our way, but due to fear of traffic police, they often forget,” he said.
A fellow of the National Centre for Empowerment and Employment of Disabled people and a hearing-impaired person, Ferdinand Lyngdoh, said, “There is a problem when it comes to talking with the taxi drivers and bus conductors as most signages are worn out or damaged.”
Fares have also increased and there are some who charge extra, he said.
Lyngdoh also said that most of the time they have to reserve the taxis, which are only seen on the main roads.