Stakeholders meet to discuss accessibility in Panaji‘Smart Panaji has to be inclusive’

Panaji: Identifying several gaps in the existing infrastructure for disabled people of the state, authorities and stakeholders asserted that if the state capital was to attain the smart city tag, inclusive planning with a focus on the differently abled was required.

"We need to derive solutions with regards to issues affecting accessibility and for this stakeholders and authorities should have clearly defined roles and efforts should be coordinated," commissioner of the Corporation of the City Panaji Ajit Roy said.

These observations were made at the one-day conference organized by the state commissioner of persons with disabilities in collaboration with the National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Persons with Disabilities (NCPEDP).

The focus of the conference was discussing the requirements and parameters for smart cities to become truly inclusive and accessible to the differently-abled.

President of the Disabilities Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) Avelino D'Sa and Lokesh Lohiya of CISCO were among the others who were present.