MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Thursday directed the Maharashtra government to have a relook at the masks designed for people with speech and hearing impairment.
A bench of justice Amjad Sayed and justice Girish Kulkarni, which was hearing a PIL by a Pune-based NGO that urged direction for special masks for the hearing and speech impaired, was shown sample masks designed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
But the judges pointed out from the logo printed on it, it is not possible to make out if a person has a disability.
“The impact should be immediate. You need to have an expert team working on the design,’’ said justice Kulkarni.
State’s advocate Bhupesh Samant said the design is used in many countries and it was made to match the design in the petition.
“It is not clear. It should appear as a hearing disability. It is not,’’ said justice Kulkarni.
Samant also said the BMC took the lead to design the special masks.
He said the masks will have to be approved by a committee for e-tender before an order is placed.
In their order, the judges said “the design requires a relook” and the design must be more prominent and identifiable.
Adjourning the hearing, the judges noted that the State has issued standard operating procedure (SOP) to all civic bodies for disposal of masks, personal protective equipment (PPE) and waste generated during the treatment of Covid-19.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/covid-19-take-a-relook-at-masks-for-the-disabled-bombay-hc-directs-maharashtra-govt/articleshow/83012783.cms
