News

Volume 8 Issue 2 - January 15, 2011

Provide modern technology for visually impaired employees: Bombay H.C.

D.N.I.S. News Network, India: At a unique hearing, the Bombay High Court has directed Maharashtra Government to implement training in technology that will help visually impaired employees in various departments.

The Bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice S. J. Vazifdar directed the State Government to ensure that technologies like verbal calculator and reading machines are made available for their visually impaired staff after providing them with proper training.

The High Court also directed all local Government bodies to allocate 5% of their budgetary expenditure towards welfare of disabled persons.

In a presentation on access devices, Advocate Kanchan Pamnani pointed out how there were several scientific aids to help a visually impaired employee. She said that there are various inventions, including reading software and a talking calculator, which the government could put to use.

The High Court also appointed a special committee to help the Government identify posts for visually impaired people. Apart from some Government officers, Advocates Gayatri Singh and Kanchan Pamnani have been appointed on the committee. The matter has been posted for further hearing to March 19.

The High Court scheduled the special and novel hearing at the court’s conference room in the wake of several public interest litigations (P.I.L.s) raising concerns at the lack of proper implementation of the rights of disabled people, especially when it came to filling up vacancies in government posts. Chief Justice Shah organized the hearing in the form of a round table unlike regular court hearings and did away with various technicalities. Around 40 people, including representatives of N.G.O.s, disability experts from Delhi, Ahmedabad and secretaries of finance, social justice were present along with advocate general Ravi Kadam.

Chief Justice Shah said the aim was to have a general consensus on how to have effective enforcement of the law, so that everyone need not knock at the court’s doors all the time.