Two new ramps for disabled coming up on Elliot’s Beach

For wheelchair users who regularly visit the Elliot’s Beach, navigating the existing ramps to use the walkway is a tough task. JD Madan, member of the Disability Rights Alliance (DRA), pointed out that the two ramps were far apart and difficult to reach. “A group of us goes to Elliot’s Beach once a week and we are all wheelchair-users. We like to spend time on the beach and the pathway is wide. But it is 6-8 inches from the road. The only way to access it is to be carried up, which is uncomfortable. The two existing ramps are on either end of the beach and far apart. The condition of the ramps was also pathetic and there were holes in them,” she recalled.

A group of disability right activists approached the Greater Chennai Corporation, requesting them to make the ramps usable. “The officials were prompt and agreed to not only fix the old ramps but construct a few more, to ensure that the pathway was easily accessible. Within ten days of meeting the officials, the construction of the new ramps started. The civic body took our inputs and it was great to see the quick action they took. These ramps are beneficial not only for wheelchair users, but also for women pushing small children in prams or elderly persons,” added Madan, who was paralysed ten years ago, after a car accident resulted in a spinal cord injury.

Smitha Sadasivan, Disability Legislation Unit (DLU), Vidya Sagar, said that their team provided a sketch to the civic body officials. “We gave them all the details required, including our suggestions. The work started in less than two weeks. While the ramps were constructed, the flares (side slope of the ramp) were missing. When we alerted the officials, they said it would be done within a week,” she said, adding, they have requested for another ramp, to ensure easy accessibility of the pathway.

Last year, the civic body deliberated upon putting up semi-permanent pathways on Marina and Elliot’s Beach. “The ramps currently help us access the walkways on these beaches. Accessing the beach and reaching the shores are still a faraway dream,” said Smitha.