PU lacks disabled-friendly measures, reveals audit

Chandigarh: Panjab University’s first-ever disability audit, conducted last month, has revealed major shortcomings in campus accessibility. Out of 99 buildings audited, none were deemed fully disabled-friendly, with only one toilet in the international hostel meeting proper infrastructure standards, officials said while citing the audit report.
With approximately 150-200 differently-abled students enrolled, the equal opportunity cell (EOC) spearheaded the comprehensive audit, assessing physical barriers across the campus, including administrative blocks, the vice chancellor's office, public spaces, and department buildings, over seven days.The findings echoed concerns raised in a Sept 2023 TOI report, citing deficient infrastructure and amenities for differently-abled students.
The audit was conducted for Rs 1.78 lakh by Samarthyam NGO with Dr Anjlee Agarwal leading the audit. The report reveals a pervasive failure to meet the ‘Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier-free Built Environment for Persons with Disability and Elderly Persons' outlined by the ministry of urban development in 2016.
Ramps were notably absent in various departments, forcing dependence on stairs, while essential facilities such as signage, separate toilets, and lifts were lacking. Moreover, washrooms across the campus failed to meet basic hygiene standards, with certain accessible toilets, especially the one available at the student centre, often found locked or dysfunctional. The team could find only one toilet in an international hostel, which fulfiled all the norms and was accessible.
Parking encroachments, improper ramp gradients, and slippery floor finishes were common issues identified in the audit. A comprehensive report spanning approximately 700 pages has been compiled, with separate folders dedicated to individual buildings.
One major problem, identified in the report, was of encroachment on most reserved parking spaces. In the admin block, officials said the entry itself posed an obstacle in the form of a 150mm step, rendering it inaccessible or challenging for wheelchair users. Moving further into the building, the handrails on the stairs were positioned at a distance such that they were accessible only after ascending the first step.
Additionally, the lift button height was not optimized for ease of use, and inside the washroom, the absence of railings and wet floors further compromised accessibility. Notably, the washroom's location in the basement posed additional challenges. For visually impaired individuals, Braille signage was only observed near the lift, with neither ramps nor color contrasting equipped with visual-friendly features.