Disabled people dealt a bad hand, seek counters in public spaces

PUNE: Rafique Khan had to wait for three hours on his wheel chair to reach an ATM counter in Vishrantwadi on Sunday. Once he reached the counter, he needed help to enter the ATM. After this ordeal, however, the ATM did not have enough cash.
"When the government makes such an announcement, they have no consideration for us," says Khan. He is peeved that though the Persons With Disability(PWD) Act, 1995, is in place, the barrier-free environment in public spaces is only on paper.
Khan said that the government's sudden announcement and the fact that there are no special counters for disabled people has given them a raw deal.
Prashant Dubey, a government employee with 60% disability also had to wait with crutches for hours to reach an ATM in Kondhwa.
Even as the government has announced separate queues from Tuesday and the disability commissionerate is readying a circular for this, how it would be implemented is something that has to be seen, said D Satav, state representative of a disability group.
"None of the ATMs or banks have ramps and are in locations that are difficult to access. Though the Act is in place, the facility is not there. To top it, the announcement has left many in the sector cashless," Satav, who has handed a memorandum to the collector and the disability commissioner, said.
Rohan Gaikwad, who has 80% disability and is working as a computer operator, said that he has been borrowing money for the last two days as banks are too crowded. "There is an announcement that there would be separate queues in banks and ATMs from Tuesday. Let's see if I can reach my bank," Gaikwad said.
Satav said that many of the differently abled do not have bank accounts and so it is a major hassle for them to even exchange old currency notes.
"We have to help out these people with exchanging notes as it would be difficult for them to move from one place to another considering the rush, both at banks and post offices. There should be a separate counter opened in some centralized public place only for disabled people. This place should also have a ramp facility," he said.
On Monday, the government had announced that separate queues would be made mandatory at banks and ATMs for senior citizens and for the disabled.
State disability commissioner Nitin Patil said, "We will be issuing a circular to banks and they should follow it. On separate counters at centralized areas, it looks difficult as disabled people are spread out everywhere. However, in the days to come, we will observe the situation and then take necessary steps."
Meanwhile, Maya Pitre, another disabled person from Kothrud, said that she has been ordering things for her house only on credit.
"My friends have been kind to help me out. There is no way I can think of going to the bank in the present scenario. I am giving out old notes to friends and they get it exchanged for me," Pitre said.