Provision of disable seat in Public Vehicles; Not a Final Solution

Provision of disable seat in Public Vehicles; Not a Final Solution

नेचुरल्लीदीपक

With the rise of consciousness in the people of all sectors; the voice of ‘right of equality’ has increased in these decades in Nepal. People of every sector who were deprived of their rights and are actually marginalized are raising their voice against inequality in all sectors of the Nation.
The rise of consciousness of ‘Provision of Disable seat in Public Vehicle’ is also one of it. This can be taken as good practice implemented by government nowadays. Provision means to keep seat especially for physically impaired people in the vehicles to help them to travel comfortably. Eventhough it is arguable to another point of view because a group of critics don’t support it. They claim that practising the ‘provision’ means to undervalue the differently able people. However some people believe it as a good decision made by government. So, disabled people now can claim seat as their right in the public vehicles. Eventhough there is no conflict about solution of problem for differently able people. It can be achieved by developing disabled-friendly infrastructures.
This is not only the problem of some hundreds or thousands people in Nepal who are physically impaired. But the data by ‘Human Right Commission’ of Nepal in its research shows that about 7 to 10 percentages of physically or mentally impaired people are there in Nepal. It means there are about two million disabled people in Nepal. Therefore, in the context of Nepali society provision of disable seat can be considered as an innovative idea implied by Government of Nepal in this decade. The practice can be considered as good and for the protection of basic human rights of the people.
“It is good to have provision of disable seat in public vehicles because it helps disable people to have easy traveling” (Mulmi, personal interview). In this sense this practice has helped physically weak people to have safe journey in the public vehicles. This also shows that government has accepted differently able people as an inevitable organ of the society. Furthermore Interim Constitution of Nepal has defined ‘Right of Equality’ as fundamental right. Hence, this practice can be taken as helpful medium to make differently able people livelihood and traveling comfortable.
In fact some differently able people and even normal people do not accept this policy and practice of government as an actual step for the solution of this problem in today’s context of Nepal. “Making provision of seat in the public vehicles is discriminating people. They are not separate members of our society. Writing ‘provision’ in the vehicles doesn’t make any change. It’s  duty of all able people to let disable people to have a seat in vehicles by their own conscience” (Koirala and Upretty).
Eventhough some good results are being obtained by implementing this act of provision in Nepal. But it is not the final and exact solution for differently able people. In reality the public vehicles and other infrastructures should be constructed disable friendly. The concept of disabled-friendly environment should be enhanced by educating every citizen from their early age of school. Moreover it is an embarrassing for so-called twenty-first century’s civilized people. It is their responsibility to help someone who is physically weak. So, they should always be ready to leave seat for differently able people. It is the matter of humanity. Making people to leave disable seat forcefully in public vehicles is a challenging task for authority. Even this practice may make disable people feel humiliated.
The meaning of disability can be explained as;
“Disability is an umbrella term covering impairments, activity, limitations and  restriction. Impairment is a problem in body function or structure, an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action…” (Wikipedia)
It clearly gives real concept of differently able people. Therefore making provision of disable seat can’t be final solution. Instead, infrastructures should be constructed disable-friendly and normal people also always be ready to help physically weak people in the public vehicles.

Works Cited

"Disability". Wikipedia. 19 May 2014. Web. 21 July 2014. 

Koirala, Ranjana, and Pramisha Upretty. Personal Interview. 12 July 2014.

Mulmi, Sarojman. Personal Interview. 10 June 2014.

Nepal Government . Biddhan Sharma, ed. Interim Constitution of Nepal. Kathmandu: Shital Shulabh Publication, 2008. Print.

Sharma, Mayadevi. Ved Prasad Bhattarai, eds. et al. About People Having Disabilities. Kathmandu: Human Right Commission, 2012. Print.