Polio-afflicted panchayat clerk transferred to first-floor office, seeks barrier-free option

Nedumbassery: Accessibility for persons with disabilities is a difficult proposition all across India despite some positive moves to provide ramps to public facilities.

A head clerk, who is paralysed from the waist down after being afflicted by polio, has been transferred to a panchayat office that functions out of the first floor of a building. 

Jaison, a native of Varappuzha in Ernakulam district, was transferred from Alangad to Parakkadavu Panchayat office on November 22. Though he went to report for duty at the Parakkadavu Panchayat office, he could not go to the office which is on the first floor.

Jaison joined for duty after the register was brought down, but had to go on leave. Jaison has given complaints to the Minister, panchayat director, Commissioners for Persons with Disabilities and other officials concerned, stating that there are no facilities for him to reach the first-floor office.

And he has also requested either to set up a ramp here or to transfer him to an office, functioning on the ground floor.

Jaison went to the panchayat office the other day as he had been on leave for over two months and could not extend the leave any further. Jaison has to ride his three-wheeled scooter for 26 km to reach the office. Even after reaching there, Jaison had no other option but to sit on his scooter below the panchayat office. The request for granting special leave has not been approved either. 

Meanwhile, Panchayat President S V Jayadevan has said that the panchayat committee meeting has discussed the issue and the panchayat director would be requested to take the steps for transferring Jaison to a panchayat office at a suitable location and that too with disabled access.