An accessible Dhaka for all
Most public transport, like buses and trains, as well as stations and launch terminals in Dhaka city are not accessible to people with disabilities, a recent study finds.
Wheelchair and crutch users cannot use these transports and stations as there are almost no ramps or apt arrangement for them. There is no tactile and audio signal or sign language support for the visually impaired people either, the study said.
Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus (B-SCAN), an organisation of persons with disabilities, in association with Plan International Bangladesh conducted the study in May this year after visiting a total of six places and different transports in the city. Airport railway and bus station in Uttara and Sadarghat launch terminal are among the places.
The findings of the study were unveiled at a roundtable held at The Daily Star Centre in the capital yesterday.
The study found that the waiting rooms, platforms, counters and parking bays of the stations are mostly inaccessible. In most cases, there is no accessible toilet for people with disabilities. Even the condition of existing toilets was very unhygienic, it said.
Presenting the study findings, B-SCAN General Secretary Salma Mahbub said, “Platform to board launches and trains are extremely inaccessible for persons with disabilities, and the toilets are very narrow for us.”
To overcome the situation, she recommended the authorities concerned to build standard ramps at all stations and terminals, ensure accessible toilet facilities for all people with disabilities, and set up tactile guideline, guide rails and audible signals where necessary.
Salma urged the government and the Dhaka city mayors to prepare a comprehensive and inclusive action plan to make the city accessible for all.
Khandakar Rakibur Rahman, executive director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority; Sharmeela Rassool, chief technical adviser to UNDP Bangladesh; Mohammad Abu Sadeque, former director of Housing and Building Research Institute; and Farzana Maherin, a specialist of Plan International Bangladesh, also spoke at the programme.
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