Demanding "strict and immediate action" against the guilty over off-loading of a differently-abled professor from a Spicejet flight in Kolkata, Social Justice Minister today met his Civil Aviation counterpart and sought an inquiry into the incident.
"Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Mukul Wasnik today met his Civil Aviation counterpart Ajit Singh and sought an inquiry into the incident. Wasnik also demanded strict and immediate action against the airline people behind the incident," Ministry officials said here.
Yesterday the Social Justice Ministry had written a letter to the Civil Aviation Secretary demanding an urgent probe and action against the guilty into the incident in which Kolkata-based Professor Jeeja Ghosh- suffering from cerebral palsy- was offloaded from a Mumbai-bound flight.
The incident took place on February 19 and the Social Justice Minister initiated action into it after a written complaint was received from 42 year-old Ghosh who was honoured for her active participation in the field of rights for the disabled people on the National Disability Day last year.
"In the meeting with the Civil Aviation Minister, Wasnik stressed upon the fact that private airlines must be sensitive towards the needs of differently-abled people and they must be educated and trained for this purpose," the officials said.
During the 20-minute-long meeting, Wasnik also raised objection over the airlines not installing 'ambu-lift' by which disabled people are physically lifted taken and brought out of aircraft.
"As per the rules, all airlines should have ambu-lift to facilitate unassisted entry and exit for the disabled people from the aircraft. Most of the airlines do not have such facility and it adds to the discomfort of disabled passengers," the officials said.
Yesterday, in a letter to Civil Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi, the Social Justice Ministry had demanded a probe into the incident and sought that those found guilty should be punished on a priority basis.
In the letter, the ministry called the incident "a serious violation of the right of persons with disability" and said it also violated the Carriage by Air of Persons with Disability and Persons with Reduced Mobility Rules of 2008.
These rules state that "no airline shall refuse to carry persons with disability or persons with reduced mobility and their assistive aids/devices, escorts and guide dogs including their presence in the cabin, provided such persons or their representatives, at the time of booking and/or check-in for travel, inform the airlines of their requirement".
Ghosh has also written a letter to the Social Justice Minister seeking action against the airline, specially the aircraft captain.
"There is an urgent need for training of the airlines personnel at all levels. Such training should be conducted by people with disabilities," she said.
Terming the behaviour of the airline personnel as "absolutely shameful", Ghosh has mentioned how the incident reflected "lack of awareness and human touch among the so called elite and educated people of the society.
