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Easy access, toilets for special persons in new buildings urged

By Our Correspondent
June 08, 2019

The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD) would ask the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), all builders and other stakeholders to establish at least one toilet with special features for persons with disabilities on all the floors of newly-constructed commercial and public buildings in the province to facilitate such persons. This was stated by Special Assistant to CM Sindh on Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar while talking to newsmen at an Eid Milan party.

He said his department was going to a write a letter to the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), builders and all other stakeholders asking them to build one toilet in all commercial and public buildings and such toilets should be of the size which can accommodate a person on wheelchair and this toilet should be equipped with special features.

Qamar maintained that authorities concerned should also construct ramps from footpath level to entrance of all commercial and public buildings for easy accessibility through wheel chair that is a mandatory for all buildings other than dwelling houses.

“We should behave with special persons like the members of civilised societies because our religion Islam also teaches us to be kind and cooperative with weak, old and special persons,” he added.

Replying to a question, he maintained that his department had also taken many initiatives for the welfare of the special persons, and appointments were being made on a five percent quota reserved for special persons in the public sector, while through a drive, these people were being provided special CNICs in collaboration with Nadra.

“The private sector is also bound to provide five percent jobs to special persons in their respective organisations and violation of this rule shall be dealt with strictly according to the law,” he concluded.