Dear GK readers, after a much-needed half-year hiatus, this missive comes to you from the top floor of University of the Philippines. I am here in Manila to be part of the panel to discuss Kashmir’s inaccessible public transport. I went to bed Friday thinking about my 18 months of terrible travel experience in the Srinagar Smart City Bus. I woke up with the chirping of birds at 5am on Saturday, fretted for more than an hour, then got up, had an American breakfast and dragged myself to my desk. My first thought was: Why are Kashmiris so insensitive towards People with Disabilities. Last fall, when I was in East Africa, back home, my lawyers were helping me draft Public Interest litigation at J&K high Court, to make the much-touted smart city buses accessible for People with disabilities. No sooner had we completed it, J&K CM, Omar Abdullah, announced on the floor of the house fare exemption for Persons with Disabilities. But the chief executive of the half-state probably doesn’t know that the word “Handicapped” is an insensitive term. He can unlearn it now. Dear CM, Disability is an identity. The appropriate term used is “Person with Disability”. 

Six months later, there is no official notification. Who is supposed to issue the order? Transport commissioner? SMC Commissioner who also happens to be the CEO of the Smart City or Managing Director SRTC? As a disability rights advocate, I went to the SSCL office and submitted a detailed letter to the CEO on March 12,2026. I even volunteered to conduct two disability-sensitivity workshops for the staff free of charge. I offered my time, expertise and lived experience, believing that meaningful change begins with understanding. But not even the courtesy of a response came my way. The problem is that we continue to frame disability less as a question of citizenship and more as a matter of welfare, rehabilitation and relief. In fact, PwDs are demonized, dehumanized by the non-disabled people and scapegoated for political choices and policy failures by consecutive governments. When was the last time SSCL consulted persons with disabilities and asked them how can we make their travel comfortable by making it accessible.The Next Stop is……...?

Just like Delhi metro, it can have automatic audio announcements as it moves forward, e.g., if you are travelling to Pattan, Bus no 24 is enroute, at every stop, it can announce, in Kashmiri or in Urdu, Agla stop Hanjiwera hai, Agla Stop Main Market Pattan hai.  Do you know what it does, you are making your bus accessible. There are announcements asking men not to sit in seats reserved for women. Those are clear, firm, repeated. But for PwDs, there is no announcement. This is how the travel is........

© Greater Kashmir