Two ramps are being constructed at Sessions Courts building to facilitate access for physically-handicapped people.
One of these is located beside a sessions’ judge’s court and the second adjacent to the Additional District and Sessions Judge Yousaf Aujla’s court. The ramps will only help the physically-challenged access the ground floor without support. They will still require support to go to first and second floors.
The move comes in light of a two-year-old directive of then Lahore High Court chief justice, Khwaja Muhammad Sharif. Sharif had on March 21, 2009, ordered to make all court buildings in the province and in Islamabad handicapped-friendly.
Ramps were constructed only in the LHC building following the order. No ramps have yet been constructed at the district courts, Cantonment courts and Model Town courts buildings.
Building Department Executive Engineer Javed Bashir Sulahria told The Express Tribune that a proposal to install elevators was abandoned due to shortage of funds. About other courts in the city, he said so far there was no plan to construct ramps.
Muhammad Ijaz, a litigant at district courts, said he had been coming to the court to attend case proceedings for some time now. At every visit, he said, he had to request people for help to access the courtroom. He said ramps should be constructed at all city courts.
Muhammad Raheel, a litigant at Cantt courts, said he had to attend case hearings at a court on the first floor. He said he had to ask people to lift him up the stairs.
Lawyers, too, welcomed the move but regretted that ramps were not being constructed at other city courts. Advocate High Court Asif Chatta said he saw several physically-handicapped people visiting city courts every day. He said ramps should be constructed at all the courts in the city.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2011.
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