Govt buildings to be made made disabled friendly in Punjab, says minister Harbhajan Singh

Chandigarh, Aug 25: Punjab Public Works Minister Harbhajan Singh on Thursday said Rs 30.60 crore is being spent for the construction of special facilities in 77 government buildings in three districts of the state to make them accessible to differently-abled people.

He said that some of the new facilities that will be added to the buildings will include steps and ramps, corridors, entry gates, emergency exits and parking besides outdoor facilities like signages, alarm systems and toilets suited for the physically challenged.

He said the tendering process for the project in Amritsar, Patiala and Jalandhar has already been initiated.

Ludhiana city was the first selected by the Centre to make government buildings friendly for the differently-abled people.

"The rest of the cities of Punjab have been selected by the government of Punjab out of the state government's budget to create facilities in these buildings," Singh said in a statement issued here.

The minister said the Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) was a nationwide campaign launched by the Centre to provide universal accessibility to persons with disabilities and to enable persons with disabilities to gain access for equal opportunity and live independently.