Written by Soham ShahPune | September 17, 2025 02:26 PM IST 2 min readPune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had no ramps when he joined the civic body and persons with disabilities had to be lifted onto the stage, Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said.Auditoriums under the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had no ramps when he joined the civic body and persons with disabilities had to be lifted onto the stage, Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said Tuesday, adding that he has directed to install ramps in the buildings within six months.Ram was speaking at the inauguration of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative organised by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), in collaboration with ALIMCO, at the Sir Parashurambhau College Ground.“When I joined, I saw that the auditoriums…did not have ramps. Even to give an award to a person with disability, they had to be lifted and carried up onto the stage. Watching that made me very sad. This is why I have ordered that all properties owned by the corporation have to be fitted with ramps in the next six months.” The PMC owns 15 such auditoriums across the city.Ram, who took charge as PMC Commissioner on May 31 this year, added, “I want to give a message: there are various government facilities, but private institutions and communities should be disabled-friendly. This is a societal responsibility.”“We all have heard about Einstein, who was the world’s greatest scientist. But after Einstein, if there is a great scientist, it is Stephen Hawking. We can say that he was 100 per cent disabled, but there was no one as smart as him. I feel this shows how all of us are similar and there is not much difference. What is required is to create an obstacle-free environment for persons with disabilities,” he said.As part of the CSR initiative, assistive aids and devices were distributed to 1,029 disabled beneficiaries, identified through assessment camps conducted by the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO). A total of 1,717 aids and devices were handed over with a CSR outlay of Rs 1.62 crore.The AAI said this effort reflects its commitment to social inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities. Pune MP and Union minister Murlidhar Mohol, former Union minister Prakash Javadekar, and Pune Airport Director Santosh Dhoke were also present at the event.Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Pune Municipal Corporation