Apr 12, Kathmandu- Durga Bamjan, a permanent teacher of Chitwan Secondary School, who is physically challenged, does not need anyone's help to go to school. He drives an electric wheelchair to go to school and back home by himself. For many years he had to be helped by his wife to go to and from school in a wheelchair.

After Sunil Pariyar, a young engineer, built an electric wheelchair for him, walking became easier. Pariyar's research group has constructed an electric wheelchair for him.

Teacher Bamjon said that the electric wheelchair has changed the way of life. He said, "With the new wheelchair, the dream of driving a scooter has been fulfilled and it has become easier to cross the road."

The youth group is working with the Narayani Polytechnic Institute of Bharatpur by running the Infinity Laboratory (Lab) and doing wheelchair manufacturing and research. Sunil, who has been manufacturing and repairing wheelchairs for nine years, is in Nepal's environment-friendly wheelchair manufacturing campaign. He says that students are also being taught wheelchair manufacturing and maintenance.

"After studying different designs of wheelchairs, the lab is making new ones and repairing old ones at the request of disabled people, hospitals and organizations," he said, "The lab designs the frame and produces a new model of wheelchair." He emphasized that the government should provide free wheelchairs to all citizens with disabilities.

Khem KC, who is affiliated with Infinity Lab, says that he is willing to work in coordination with the government. KC said that they are manufacturing wheelchairs in the design and size according to the requirements. According to KC, wheelchairs are required for patients with accidents, strokes and spinal cord injuries.

If a wheelchair is not available, the spinal cord injury patient remains in bed. The blood flow in the body is not good, he said. He said that after working in the hospital for 12 years and seeing the problems faced by the patients there, he started working on wheelchair production.

Engineer Sunil studied for a long time after the earthquake and started producing electric wheelchairs for the first time in Nepal. He said that there is a lack of public awareness about wheelchairs and that there is no wheelchair-friendly environment.

"There is still a tendency to be ashamed of using a wheelchair, for this social awareness is necessary", he said, "The habit of keeping the disabled inside the house should be stopped and the attitude of the society towards wheelchair users should be changed."

Gopal Darai, executive member of Bharatpur Metropolitan Municipality, said that the role of Infinity Lab is inspiring. He said that the government's support is necessary for such research and development work.