Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the State government to explain the steps taken to redress the difficulties of differently-abled persons during the lockdown.
A bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy instructed the government to file an affidavit on the matter by May 8. The bench was hearing a PIL petition filed by lawyer K. Shiva Nagesh seeking a direction to the government to issue passes to differently-abled persons and their attendants to attend to medical and other emergencies in the lockdown period.
The bench said that non-governmental organisations extending help to differently-abled persons should be encouraged and every section of society, including private institutes, must take it as their social responsibility. District officials should have a list of physically challenged persons and co-operate with them in resolving their issues.
The petitioner’s counsel K. Pavan Kumar informed the bench that there were close to 43 lakh physically challenged persons of different categories in the State as per 2011 census. Due to the sudden lockdown imposed by the government following incidence of coronavirus, they were facing difficulties.
Though the government had set up helplines, not all persons were receiving the required response, the lawyer said. Advocate General B.S. Prasad informed the bench that the government had already created a toll-free number. Measures were initiated to look after all physically challenged persons in the State, he said. Some issues raised by the petitioner were far from the facts and the government would file a detailed counter, he said.
The bench suggested to the government that such helpline or toll-free numbers should be publicised through print and electronic media. Physically challenged persons should be given priority at hospitals for treatment, it said.