JDA, LSG told to enhance accessibility for disabled persons at wedding venues

Jaipur: The Commissionerate for Special Persons with Disabilities has directed the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) and the department of local self-govt to ensure accessibility facilities at marriage halls, banquet halls and wedding venues across the city.The authorities have been asked to conduct a citywide survey of such venues and ensure compliance with accessibility norms within a stipulated time frame.The directions were issued following a representation submitted by Hemant Bhai Goyal, national chairman of the Disabled Rights Federation, Rajasthan. In his complaint, Goyal alleged that many marriage and banquet venues in Jaipur continue to operate without basic accessibility infrastructure mandated under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, and the Accessible India (Sugamya Bharat) Campaign.According to the representation, several venues lack essential facilities such as ramps, hand railings, wheelchair-accessible toilets, lifts, barrier-free entrances and dedicated parking spaces for persons with disabilities. He claimed that minimum accessibility standards were not adequately followed, causing inconvenience and exclusion for differently abled citizens attending social functions.Goyal demanded that compliance with disability accessibility norms be made a mandatory condition for the grant and renewal of licences issued to such establishments.