Special pavement for disabled people by the Chennai Corporation’ reads the sign on a wall on Ranjit Road in Kotturpuram. Anbarasan, a person with physical disability, looks at the sign and laughs. Pointing to the condition of the footpath just below the sign, he assures this reporter that even a normal person would find it difficult to walk on it.
Where do you see footpaths nowadays in Chennai anyway? And even if there are footpaths on certain roads, they are not really walkable’ – either their condition is bad like the one on Ranjit Road or they are occupied by human beings, animals or non–living things. For people with disabilities, it is particularly hard. The do not feel confident walking on such footpaths and even if the roads are in better condition they do not use them due to the heavy traffic.