Known for its rich cultural heritage and mannerisms, the `City of nawabs' is on course to become India's first disabled-friendly city.

Ramps, handrails, exclusive parkings for physically challenged and auditory signals at the traffic islands for visually impaired are some of the measures being implemented here for easy access of the disabled to all the places.

In a novel gesture, the Uttar Pradesh government has already initiated a long-term strategy to develop all the urban pockets as disabled-friendly.

To start with, the new civil structures comprising easy slopes with handrails and ramps have been erected at the Charbagh Railway Station and in the posh Hazratganj market. These are some of the measures, the state government is undertaking for the differentially-abled, State Handicapped Welfare Secretary Rohit Nandan said here.

These implementation followed extensive city survey by a team of senior officers including Mr Nandan and Municipal Commissioner Alok Kumar. The team took first hand account of barriers that obstructed free movement of the disabled in the market and other important areas of the state capital.

While, necessary instructions were issued, the citizens were also requested offer helping hand in making Lucknow probably the first disabled friendly city in the country. The shopkeepers and owners of big showrooms have been urged to make suitable changes to provide easy access to the disabled in the underground shopping arcades.

The net covers and ramps to connect the verandahs with the roads in the Hazratganj area have already come up, Mr Nandan said. The special parkings would be arranged for the handicapped in all the city markets and hotels and some of them have already implemented it.

He said the authorities had been approached to provide auditory signals along with traffic lights. Auditory signals directing movement of pedestrians will soon be placed at main crossings.

Similarly, the U.P. Culture Department had been requested to erect walking ramps with handrails in all the State museums, starting with the one situated on the Lucknow Zoological Garden premises.

Meanwhile, Entertainment Tax Commissioner Mohan Swaroop had issued directions to all cinema halls and multiplexes to have obstruction-free and barrier-free features for the disabled. Necessary alterations had been suggested at the Wave Multiplex, the only cineplex at present in the State Capital, he said on Monday.

From now onwards, the facilities for the disabled would be incorporated in all the new cinema halls and multiplexes coming up in other cities as well. The required changes in toilet facilities at cineplexes and other public places have also been suggested.

The State Handicapped Welfare Secretary said firstly Hazaratganj would be developed as the disabled-friendly area followed by other markets and public places of the city. Later, all major cities of the state would be developed on similar lines, Mr Nandan said.
Besides, the Uttar Pradesh government has authorised experts at the district hospitals and specified private practitioners to issue `handicap certificates'. Such certificates were earlier issued by clinical psychologists only and there had been a long waiting list to avail these.

The state government had also decided that three per cent of the handicapped would be the beneficiaries in all poverty alleviation schemes in the State. The government had already ordered to exempt stamp duty on registry of properties worth up to Rs 1 lakh owned by the handicapped, Mr Nandan informed.

Welcoming the concept, Indian Association of the Handicapped President Mridu Goel said it was a good beginning. ``Starting from Lucknow, all major cities could become disabled-friendly.''