Disability rights activist questions accessibility at Bharat Mandapam

Time of India

28-04-2025

New Delhi: Bharat Mandapam found itself under scrutiny during the
World Health Summit 2025
. Disability rights activist
Dr Satendra Singh
, who attended the event held on April 25-27, expressed serious concerns about the convention venue's accessibility, pointing out navigation was difficult for persons with disabilities.
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In his twin complaints to India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and the Department of Empowerment for Persons with Disabilities (DEPD), Singh highlighted the several drawbacks. The complaint reads, "Despite its recent inauguration on 26 July 2023, and its projection as a 'world-class' venue during the G20 Summit and now the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2025, Bharat Mandapam is riddled with accessibility failures.
Lifts are inaccessible with steps leading to them and no proper ramps or hand railings, forcing persons with disabilities to either struggle dangerously or search for alternative routes."
The complaint adds, "Ramps (where available) are non-compliant as there are improper gradients, single-side railing, lack of tactile markings, and poor flooring standards, severely restricting independent mobility. Accessible washrooms were locked, or when open, lacked functional locking mechanisms, compromising privacy and dignity.
Auditorium designs did not provide any reserved wheelchair seating or stage access for speakers with disabilities."
Singh shared some images on X, one showing a lift near the parking lot that was inaccessible because of a set of seven steps, another of locked toilets meant for disabled speakers. The railings on the ramps, he added, were neither bilateral nor continuous, falling short of the mandated 1:12 gradient and dual, insulated railings.
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Singh recounted to TOI how he parked near the accessible lift area as directed by the security guard. "However, there was no ramp, only steps. When I asked for help, the staff present shrugged and told me to check elsewhere. A second lift had a ramp, but it lacked railings and had an uneven surface. And a speaker with a disability had simply no way to access the stage," he claimed.
The experience also triggered concerns about legal compliance.
In his complaint, Singh pointed out that under Section 44(1) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, no establishment could be granted permission to build unless the building plan adhered to accessibility norms. Under Section 40(2), no completion certificate or occupation permission could be issued unless accessibility standards were fully met and under Section 45(1), the deadline to retrofit and make existing infrastructure accessible expired on June 14, 2022.
"Thus, Bharat Mandapam, inaugurated post-deadline, violates these sections of the Act. "Further, as mandated under Section 45(2), ITPO should have formulated and published an accessibility action plan, but there is no evidence of such a plan on-site or on the ITPO website," said Singh.
Officials of ITPO insisted that Bharat Mandapam was fully equipped with accessibility requirements. Speaking anonymously, an official said that ramps, lifts and disabled-friendly washrooms were available throughout the complex, and a single incident should not cast doubt on the venue's infrastructure with regard to accessibility.
The official pointed out that entry points to the convention centre, like those from the south or east plazas, did indeed have ramps, and lifts connected all the floors at the convention venue. "As for the stage," the official said, "there are temporary stairs. If any person with disability is featured to be onstage, a temporary ramp is placed for that person."