To,
The Administrator
Kohima Municipal Council
With preparation underway to make Kohima Smart City a
reality, I write this on behalf of the disability community to underline the
absolute necessity to make the planned city disabled-friendly and inclusive.
Most of the early discussions on our Smart City planning have
been about issues like better supply and use of energy, water, efficient
traffic flow, smart lighting, housing, waste management, e-facilities and so
on, which I certainly agree are all very important. Sadly, it is observed that no
mention has so far been made on making the environment and facilities inclusive
and accessible for all sections of society, including those living with disabilities.
With awareness and understanding on disability and disabled
people still at a very poor level in our state, the conditions in our existing
towns are atrocious to say the least. People living with disabilities are
completely shut out from all areas of life because of inaccessibility. These
include schools, offices, hospitals, commercial buildings, roads, public
transport, public grounds, recreation areas and buildings, etc – the list goes
on and on. No area in the state is accessible to disabled people and no one,
neither the government nor the society at large, has any awareness of this
practically invisible group of people and their rights as equal citizens of the
state.
What this means, of course, is that people living with
disabilities in our state have no life. In the current situation, they have
nothing to look forward to except a life of intense exclusion and
discrimination with life-long barriers which prevents their access to
education, work, play and social participation.
In this day and age when other societies are galloping ahead
in providing barrier free environments and services to enable all sections of
society to live, learn and earn, as is every citizen’s right, the existing
unacceptable conditions in Nagaland cannot be allowed to continue.
Creating an inclusive city
Disability is not just about people with physical
impairments. It also extends to people with sight impairment (ranging from low
vision to total blindness), hearing impairment (ranging from slight hearing
loss to profound deafness) and to those with cognitive impairment (learning
disability) and mental health problems.
Accessibility for disabled and older people does not only mean
physical access to vehicles and systems. It includes information in forms that
are useable by everyone, training of transport staff to understand the needs of
disabled and older people, and design and layout of urban areas to enable
people to move about safely and confidently. (Anne Frye: Thematic study
prepared for Global Report on Human Settlements 2013)
Accessibility is at the heart of inclusion for people with
disabilities. Barrier-free cities ensure that everyone, including the disabled
and the elderly, can participate in every aspect of life in society.
The plan and design for Kohima Smart
City must incorporate
accessibility in all fundamental aspects of city living:
- the
built environment and public spaces
- transport
and related infrastructure
- information
and communication, including Information and Communication Technologies
(ICT)
- public
facilities and services
I am confident that you will not let this golden opportunity
to end the exclusion of the disabled community in our society pass us by.
I look forward to more interaction so that ideas and
information can be shared which will help in the planning of a Smart City
that we can truly be proud of.
Best wishes,
Diethono Nakhro