Mumbai: Maharashtra Dy CM Eknath Shinde gets a feel of shaky wheels

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with BMC officials reviewed the ongoing concreting of road works in Mumbai on Tuesday During Shindersquos inspection he visited the Dadar Parsi Colony DPC the cityrsquos verdant residential area near Khodadad Circle Siddharth Mhatre DPC resident and diversity and inclusion activist who is a vocal visible advocate for the differently abled uses a wheelchair to get around Mhatre has been afflicted by cerebral palsy since birth In 2021 Mhatre had pushed for making the colony his immediate environment more accessible getting the authorities to make ramps on several footpaths within Meet momentsMhatre said about the Tuesday meeting ldquoFormer corporator Amey Ghole arranged the evening meeting We post on social media write emails tweet posting on X use Instagram to raise awareness for the cause but it was truly different meeting the deputy chief minister in personrdquo Mhatre said ldquoI did share some inputs about how to make the city especially our pavements more accessible with some foresight and changes the footpaths can become places of ease not just for wheelchair users but for senior citizens tooEknath Shinde right listens to the people on his road inspection round with Siddharth Mhatre in his wheelchair Pic courtesyDeputy CM PR DeptAs much as possible our footpaths should have smooth level surfaces Besides obvious dangers like broken tiles and open drains sudden changes in the level of the footpath can trip or trap wheelchair usersrdquo Mhatre added He also said that during the meeting he emphasised pavement width ldquoIt should have a minimum width of 15 metres to allow enough space for a wheelchair to pass comfortablymdashmore in busy areasrdquo For the wheelchair user ldquoRamps are a must but I stated they need to be gentle and have nonslip surfaces and side railings where possiblerdquoObstacles and encroachments unfortunately come with the territory in Mumbai yet Mhatre said ldquoEven a shop extension may mean simply circumventing the obstacle for the abled but for the challenged it is literally the end of the road or pathrdquo Mhatre actually went a short distance along with the deputy CM so Shinde saw the onground difficulties with the wheelchair Mhatre said ldquoThough it was barely a few minutes along with Shindersquos entourage he witnessed firsthand how we wheelchair users navigate this public space At one juncture I was on the road and the leaders saw how difficult it was to take a Uturn in my wheelchair as the surface was very roughrdquoAll inclusiveMhatre said ldquoWhen I say physically challenged that is an umbrella term I said we need to have lsquotactile pavingrsquo for the visually impaired but one has to make sure it is aligned so it does not hamper wheelchairsrdquo ldquoThe monsoon is looming so crossing these roads moving through the pavements will certainly present even more challenges I had the opportunity to share my inputs for those with mobility problems yet not everybody gets these chances to meet the leadersdecision makers I told him we can put a new perspective into accessible infrastructure by involving people with disabilities during the planning and execution of public facilities Have a few representatives Good intent great design and vision are all very well but the disabled who have to take the roads and footpaths daily may give our planners some neverbefore insights at the inception stagerdquo the activist concludedGreen sceneFormer corporator Ghole said ldquoShinde insisted that besides timely completion of roads the BMC must ensure that all debris is cleared promptly to maintain cleanliness and safetyrdquo The most exciting announcement by Shinde was that he stated ldquoThe DPC will be officially declared a Green Zone Existing trees will be protected with circular tree guards using red soil to allow proper water penetration Additional tree plantations will be undertaken during this monsoon season A new Garden Department office will be sanctioned by the BMC specifically for DPC to strengthen maintenance and greenery efforts Unnecessary railings alongside roads will be removed to improve accessibility and aestheticsrdquoatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params