A ripon for all: Two voices in council to strive for accessible Chennai

CHENNAI: When P Jansi Uma wheeled herself into Ripon Buildings to submit her application, she did not know if it would change her life. What she knew was that she wanted to be heard. Today, she is one of the first two Persons with Disabilities nominated to the Greater Chennai Corporation Council, marking a quiet but significant shift in local governance.

Along with Jansi Uma, B Balaji has been nominated disabled members of the city corporation council, giving the city’s disabled community a formal voice at the civic table for the first time.

Jansi Uma (48), a resident of Adyar, lives with 90 per cent disability and uses a wheelchair. An MA Economics graduate, she is a homemaker and mother of two. Her husband drives a car for a living, and she supplements the family income by running a small roadside shop. Years of navigating public spaces without ramps or accessible toilets shaped her resolve to act.

“People look at us differently in public places. Being inside the council will change that perspective,” she said. Known in her neighbourhood for helping other disabled persons apply for disability certificates and reach distribution camps for wheelchairs and tricycles, she now hopes to take that work citywide. Her priority is to inspect government buildings and flag the absence of basic accessibility features.

Balaji (45) from Choolai, lives with a 55 per cent disability following polio in childhood. A B.Com graduate, he worked as an assistant manager and quit his job after the nomination. The youngest in his family, he has long supported fellow disabled persons, even using his income to provide monthly provisions.

“PWDs struggle every day, especially during bus travel. Many government schemes do not reach us at all,” he said. He has already worked to make his neighbourhood park disability-friendly and wants to bridge the gap between policy and access.

Both are eager for their first council meeting, expected this month. On December 1, GCC Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran handed over their nomination certificates.

Their induction follows legislation tabled by Chief Minister MK Stalin in April to nominate persons with disabilities to all rural and urban local bodies by amending the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Act of 1998, enabling such nominations through Act 30 of 2025. For Jansi Uma and Balaji, it is more than a seat. It is a chance to ensure that lived experience shapes civic decisions.