Consider UDID Card for differently abled persons to travel in public transport, access other benefits, says PIL plea in HC
An activist has filed a public interest litigation petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the authorities to consider the ‘Unique Disability Identity Card’ (UDID Card) issued by the Centre as the sole certificate for differently abled persons for travelling in buses and trains in the southern districts and availing themselves of other benefits.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Suresh Kumar and
The UDID Card was valid throughout the country. It was no longer mandatory for the differently abled to carry other documents, the petitioner said
G. Arul Murugan ordered notice to the Centre and the State on the petition filed by Swamimalai Sundara Vimal Nathan, of Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district. The petitioner said that he was a differently abled person with 45% locomotor disability.
He said that he preferred travelling by train. For a differently abled person, concession was given on the train fare. There were other benefits as well. To avail himself of these benefits, he said that it was mandatory to produce the railway identity card for the differently abled, along with a doctor’s certificate for the disability.
The documents had to be produced at the time of booking the ticket, and to the Travelling Ticket Examiner during the journey. Even for travelling in buses, the passbook issued by the authorities to the differently abled and a photocopy of the doctor’s certificate should be produced to the conductor, he said.
The UDID was a project being implemented by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. The main objective of the project was to improve transparency, efficiency and ease of delivering government benefits to differently abled persons and to ensure uniformity, he said.
He said that the UDID Card was valid throughout the country. It was no longer mandatory for the differently abled to carry other documents, he said, adding that he had linked his UDID Card to his Aadhaar Card.
The authorities were insisting on other documents though he showed them his UDID Card, the petitioner said. The UDID card should be considered for the differently abled to avail themselves of benefits and access to facilities in transport, educational Institutions, hospitals and other sectors to safeguard their rights, he said.