Provide ramps, wheelchairs at Meenakshi temple: Assn

Madurai: Ramps should be constructed in all the temple towers of the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple here for easy access of the differently abled and elderly people, said the Tamil Nadu Association for Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) in a petition submitted to a joint commissioner of the HR & CE department on Monday.It also sought facilities for differently-abled people to comfortably move inside the temple.
The association’s district secretary A Balamurugan and district president P Veeramani pointed out that recently a differently abled woman from Dharmapuri was made to remove her prosthetic for entering the temple and treated in a disrespectful manner. A cop was transferred following the incident.
“Our demand is for the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple to be made more accessible and disabled-friendly. Ramps and wheelchairs must be made available at all towers along sign interpreters and staff to assist people with all types of disabilities. Toilets for differently abled people should also be set up,” said Balamurugan.