A disabled rights group is disappointed with the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) for not including them in a committee to improve facilities for the disabled within the township.

Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) president Francis Siva said it was crucial the disabled community be included when formulating policies alongside the authorities.

"We have to be in the committee. We know best (what needs to be done) as we have lived with our disabilities for so long," he said when met after a dialogue session between disabled groups and MPK on Tuesday.

It was during this dialogue that the request from the disabled group to be included in the committee was rejected.

Drawing a comparison, ILTC advisor Anthony Thanasayan said the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) had adopted the right approach by actively consulting the disabled community on matters involving them.

"MPS has sought our feedback by inviting us to dialogues numerous times. When they were in doubt, they would even come to ILTC to talk to us," he said, adding that disabled groups were also invited to test disabled-friendly facilities built by MPS.

Thanasayan also lamented that MPK's non-committal attitude towards setting a time-frame for another meeting.

Changes promised

Early last month, MPK came under heavy fire following news reports highlighting the plight of Gurdip Kaur @ Rina - a disabled woman who was issued an arrest warrant for not settling her parking summonses.

Gurdip, who is wheelchair-bound, claimed that parking bays in Klang were not disabled friendly.

Following the public outcry, MPK president Abd Bakir Haji Zin vowed to make Klang more disabled friendly.

Met after the dialogue, Bakir told reporters that MPK will prioritise certain areas such as disabled-friendly parking bays, toilets and providing access ramps at public amenities.

While unable to provide a time frame, he assured reporters that the new policy of making Klang a disabled friendly township would be implemented.

He added that the council was presently studying ILTC's suggestions.

Bakir also revealed that there were currently 56 disabled-friendly parking bays in Klang town and warned that able-bodied drivers who use these parking bays would face a maximum fine of RM300.

"The key is now in educating the Klang public. Many people just don't emphatise with the disabled community," he said.

He also said the council will look into the size and positioning of existing disabled-friendly parking lots to ensure that they were up to standard.

"Sometimes, we just lack experience in certain issues," he admitted.

Meanwhile, the ILTC delegation said MPK should start with its own building as it lacked disabled friendly parking facilities.

"I was born in Klang. It has been so many years but yet they still do not have parking lots to cater for the disabled.

"They knew we were coming, and yet they sent no one to help us, forcing us to park our cars along the curb," said Thanasayan.