After the lockdown ended Pune has opened up fully and people are increasingly visiting popular places like the Gol Market Place for shopping and recreation.
The Gol Market Place in Pashan was visited and the following was checked:
- The accessibility of the main entrance.
- The availability of ramps at the entrance.
- The accessibility of the aisles in the mall.
- The accessibility of the washroom/toilet if any.
- The accessibility of the parking space.
- The accessibility of the elevators.
The main entrance of the Gol Market is accessible and is leveled with the main road.
The walkways inside the Gol market are well-paved with tiles and are accessible for a wheelchair.
The walkways split and lead to the various sections of the Gol Market and are all accessible.
The central round section of the Gol Market is not accessible.
The shops on the backside of the Gol Market are not accessible.
Some shops have a railing on the stairs making it accessible for people with limited mobility.
The Gol Market has a post office and the various sections of the post office like the post box, the form-filling desk, and the waiting benches are all accessible for a wheelchair-bound person
The 2-wheeler parking in the Gol Market is accessible.
The 4-wheeler parking in the Gol Market is accessible via ramps and leveled walkways.
The shops in the west wing of the Gol Market are leveled with the walkway and hence are accessible for a wheelchair.
Here’s another shop in the western section of the Gol Marke that is accessible.
The clinic in the Gol Market is accessible as well.
The bench under a shady tree is unfortunately not accessible.
Here’s the amazing location of the Gol market in the lush greenery of the PAshan area of Pune amidst the tropical rainforests of the western ghats.
Conclusion
The Gol Market in Pune is fully geared towards embracing the differently-abled and though there were a few discontinuities, helpful people were always available nearby to ease the experience of the differently-abled.
This meetup was conducted as part of the Accessibility for All movement.
Here’s the link to the announcement and the invitation for the meetup.
BR
Tushar Suradkar
Pune
