Mumbai's Marine Drive to be ''visually-challenged friendly''

Bhopal, Aug 26 (UNI) A city-based NGO is part of a more than Rs 100-crore project for making Mumbai's scenic Marine Drive more friendly for the visually-challenged.

''The 3-km boulevard will have a line of upraised tiles that will be easily identifiable by tapping a cane,'' Arushi Volunteer Anil Mudgal told UNI today.

The social activist explained that the proposal was recently mooted by an Arushi team that observed development work in progress along the Marine Drive but realised that there was no component for aiding the visually-impaired.

''The proposal has been ayed and renowned poet Gulzar, who is our patron, extended immense cooperation in this endeavour,'' Mr Mudgal added.

''Arushi's objective is to admit physically-challenged children in normal schools instead of letting them continue in special institutions,'' said Gulzar who was here for the release of 'Ek Mein Do', his 15th work to be transcribed into Braille and conveying a message of national unity and integrity.

Sahitya Akademi President Gopichand Narang released the book at the multi-art centre Bharat Bhavan.

Marine Drive is in South Mumbai. It is an inverted 'C'-shaped six-lane concrete road along the coast which is a natural bay of the Arabian Sea. The road links Nariman Point to Babulnath and Malabar Hill. Marine Drive is situated over reclaimed land facing west-south-west.

Arushi, active for the past 15 years, has thus far benefited more than 900 children with Braille books and 12,000 plus hours of audio tapes.

The NGO helped make the local Habibganj Railway Station and the World Heritage Site Sanchi more ''visually-challenged friendly.'' Due to Arushi's initiative, Braille panels are in place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan's museum, Bhopal's Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Van Vihar National Park and the Gauhar Mahal while the Bhopal Express has seat numbers in Braille and Braille menu cards are available at every restaurant in the Jehan Numa Palace Hotel here.

UNI AC SY HS1805