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Dilli
Haat to be made accessible for the disabled
By
Snigdha Sen
Times
News Network
New
Delhi: Over a year after the first plan was mooted
to make Dilli Haat accessible to the disabled, work
is finally set to begin on Friday. The project is being
financed by Delhi Tourism.
"The
contract has been awarded and work will begin on Friday.
We hope to complete it in two months," a Delhi Tourism
official said.
This phase of renovation, costing about Rs 9 lakh, however,
will not include the toilets. "A separate project will
be undertake to re-do the entire toilet complex," an
official said.
The
plan for a new toilet block would, however, take a while,
said Delhi Tourism managing director Rajiv Talwar. "The
toilets will be made disabled-friendly. But whether
the entire toilet complex needs to be redone or not
will have to be reviewed," he said.
The
redesigning is being done by Pradeep Sachdeva Design
Associates, who had originally designed the Dilli Haat
at INA and the upcoming one at Pitampura. "The idea
is to make Dilli Haat a model for constructing accessible
buildings," said Pradeep Sachdeva. "The Dilli Haat we
are designing at Pitampura will include all features
that will make it accessible to the physically challenged,"
he said.
The
proposal was first mooted by Samarthya, a non-government
organisation working for people with various disabilities,
which is also cooperating with Delhi Tourism for the
project. The NGO had conducted an audit of Dilli Haat
in December 2000 and suggested changes to make it accessible
to all.
"This
is not only for the disabled," said Samarthya co-founder
Sanjeev Sachdeva. "It will benefit the elderly, the
frail, people with physical ailments, children and also
shoppers commuting with heavy bags," he said.
Here's
what's in store for the Dilli Haat at INA:
-
A portion of the floor of the front plaza to be smoothened
to allow movement of wheel chairs
-
Height of one of the ticket counters to be lowered
- Ramps
alongside steps
- Tactile
blocks the for visually impaired
- A
separate parking facility for the disabled.
Source: The Times of India
Dated: 20th September, 2002
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