Panaji, Oct 23 (TOI): The Goa human rights commission (GHRC) on Tuesday gave the principal chief engineer of the public works department (PWD), Altinho two weeks to respond to reports from the social welfare department regarding poor accessibility to public buildings for persons with disabilities. The social welfare department was instructed to place the response before the commission.

The department, after conducting an inquiry, stated last month that it had found 45 public buildings in the state to be inaccessible to persons with disabilities. These included the municipal council offices of Margao, Sanguem, Valpoi and Mapusa, the town and country planning department and the GHRC office, where the complaint itself had been filed.

The GHRC simultaneously conducted its own inspection of 21 government departments and public buildings in Panaji and presented detailed findings on each. In its reply to the commission last month, the department of social welfare said it had forwarded the complaint to the PWD since the Shram Shakti Bhavan at Patto—one among the non-conforming buildings—was in the latter's possession.

An inspection was carried out following a complaint by orthopedically-challenged Vishant Nagvekar, who works as statistical assistant at the directorate of craftsmen training on the third floor of the same building.

In his complaint, Nagvekar pointed out that the reserved parking for persons with disabilities is at the entrance gate while the ramp granting them access to the building is at the extreme end, in fact behind the building.

The disability rights association of goa (DRAG) was subsequently made intervener in the case, bringing other such inaccessible public buildings into the picture. The GHRC further pointed out that the ramp was blocked by haphazardly-parked vehicles. The only toilet for disabled persons, located outside the building, was also found to be "neglected".