Beaches & tourist spots in Kozhikode in Kerala become disabled-friendly

The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) in Kozhikode in Kerala is planning to build wheelchair-friendly entrances at major tourism destinations in the city. The first entrance will be on the Kozhikode beach.

Exclusive parking slots for vehicles driven by disabled people will also be set up. The spaces will be such that it will be easy for vehicles to enter and to exit. Guards will be posted there.

Different disability rights organizations have been demanding wheelchair-friendly entrances on the South beach, Kozhikode beach, Vellayil beach, and Butt Road beach.

Disabled people say they have been asking for these facilities for a long time. Prajith Jaipal, who is a quadriplegic living on Kozhikode, met district administrators recently to push for this.

The Social Justice Department had come up with a similar project under the Compassionate Kozhikode Initiative. However, the project failed due to lack of funds.

The Tourism Department hopes that the disabled-friendly facilities at tourism spots will also attract foreign tourists. Kerala gets around 1.3 crore domestic tourists and 10.7 lakh international tourists every year. Of this, 10% are disabled people.

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