The Tithal beach in Valsad district of Gujarat will soon become India’s first disabled-friendly beach, reported The Times of India.
This means that the differently-abled would be able to access all services and environment at the beach – including the water, the food courts, washrooms and entertainment area. It will be designed in such a way that everybody will be able to access all facilities without any assistance.
The government recently floated tenders for the project, and a one-km stretch of the beach is expected to open by June. The planned cost of this one stretch is Rs 5 crore. In the second phase, the remaining 2 km will be opened.
These are some of the planned features to make it inclusive:
- Ramps and railings from the parking area to the water
- Construction of slopes with no barriers or steps
- Installation of detailed signage to enable the physically challenged to reach the water without any assistance
- The bathrooms and changing rooms to be accessible via wheelchairs
- The food counters to be lower in height to serve the disabled.
Valsad collector Vikrant Pandey told Mirror that the project will make it the first-of-its-kind beach in India.
“The disabled visiting the beach will not feel discriminated in any way,” he said.
The idea for the project was derived from central government’s Accessible India campaign, he said.
The beach is a famous tourist spot in the area, and thousands of visitors arrive here every week. Unfortunately, it is not accessible to the disabled people at present.
All images are sourced from www.gujarattourism.com