Kerela beaches to be disabled-friendly

KOZHIKODE: The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) is all set to welcome people with special needs by introducing facilities that would ensure smooth transport and sightseeing. DTPC is planning to convert tourist spots into disabled friendly zones by building wheelchair-friendly entrances, toilet facilities etc.
Leaders of organizations of the differently-abled have sought wheelchair-friendly entrances on the South beach, Kozhikode beach, Vellayil beach and Butt Road beach. The first entrance will be on Kozhikode beach. The parking spaces with easy entry and exit, and parking slots for the vehicles driven by the differently-abled will also be there.
The secretary of district tourism promotion council (DTPC), Benoy Venugopal said that toilet facility for disabled people will also come up at these destinations and slippery-free tiles and handrails will be installed at all tourist spots.
Currently, Kozhikode Beach has only steps and no ramps for people with special needs to enter the beach. Relatives and volunteer groups who bring bedridden patients, or persons with visual impairment and physical disability, to the beach are also finding it difficult in the absence of accessible ramps and toilets for disabled persons.
“We have been demanding the facilities for a long time. The authorities have finally agreed to construct them soon covering the Kozhikode beach in the first phase,” said Prajith Jayapal, a quadriplegic from the city who had recently met district administrators along with his friends to press the demand.
Earlier similar project, Barrier-free Kozhikode, was started by the Social Justice Department but failed to take off because of the shortage of funds. The tourism department hopes that the disabled-friendly ambiance at tourism spots will also attract foreign tourists as according to data, Kerala welcomes around 1.3 crore domestic tourists and 10.7 lakh international tourists every year, out of which 10% belongs to the differently-abled category. The department will also introduce booklets in braille and produce audio instructions for tourists in the next phase.