'Disabled Staff Compelled To Climb Stairs Daily': Chhattisgarh High Court On Lack Of Basic Necessities Like Functional Lift In Govt Building
The Chhattisgarh High Court has taken suo-motu cognisance of a news-item published in a Hindi daily, which reported the concerning conditions of a composite Government building, which accommodates the commuting of roughly 500 employees and visitors on a daily basis including four disabled employees, and which has an inoperational lift for the past six months and is devoid of basic amenities...
The Chhattisgarh High Court has taken suo-motu cognisance of a news-item published in a Hindi daily, which reported the concerning conditions of a composite Government building, which accommodates the commuting of roughly 500 employees and visitors on a daily basis including four disabled employees, and which has an inoperational lift for the past six months and is devoid of basic amenities such as drinking water.
The composite Government building, constructed in 2023 for approximately Rs. 8 crores, houses offices of 22 different government departments. The report revealed that the elevator/lift had been out of operation for six months and while a new lift was under construction, the completion of the same was taking considerable time due to delays in installation.
Consequently, the entire building, which is three storeys high, and contains 72 stairs remains without any operational lift facility. This causes widespread inconvenience and hardship, particularly to the disabled employees, one of whom was reported to be being compelled to use crutches and railing to climb the first floor.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Bibhu Datta Guru lamented,
“This routine, repeated every day, visibly demonstrates the severe physical strain faced by disabled personnel.”
The report further stated that Government rules mandate the presence of functional lifts, ramps and wheelchair facilities in all public buildings for the convenience of disabled persons, and in the absence of the same, temporary arrangements are mandated to be made on the ground floor. In the absence of the same, the Court noted,
“… the situation in the composite building shows complete disregard for these directives, as no ground floor arrangements have been made despite the long duration of lift failure.”
While the report highlighted that instructions had been issued to the Public Works Department (PWD) to expedite the lift installation work as soon as possible, the prolonged non-functioning of the existing lift and the delay in completion of the new lift have raised questions about administrative sensitivity and efficiency.
In addition to the lack of accessibility, the report also highlighted the unavailability of basic amenities in the building such as drinking water.
Considering the fact that issues of grave public importance were highlighted in the news report, the Court directed the Secretary, Public Works Department, to file his personal affidavit indicating the present status of the repair of the existing lift, the reasons for the prolonged delay in making the new lift operational, the timeline within which both lifts shall be made functional, and the steps proposed to ensure accessibility and availability of basic amenities within the composite Government building.
The matter is now listed on November 13 for further hearing.
Case Number: WPPIL No. 99 of 2025
Case Title: In The Matter of Suo Moto Public Intrest Litigation, Regarding News Item Namely Asanvedansheel Prashashan Purani Lift Band v. The State of Chhattisgarh