In an initiative to make the Napier Museum premises in the city disabled friendly, Minister for Museums and Zoo O.J. Janeesh on Wednesday inaugurated a ramp and a stairlift to improve access to the Museum auditorium.

The Museum auditorium is located on the first floor of the building that houses the KCS Panicker Art Gallery.

A number of programmes, including exhibitions, were organised at the Museum auditorium. However, the differently abled were not abled to attend these. At the same time, installing a lift in the gallery building with its limited facilities was not practical. In such a situation, the stairlift facility would make the building disabled friendly. The government’s aim was inclusive development, the Minister said.

The Minister also viewed a photo exhibition and documentaries as part of the International Tiger Day celebrations organised by Wildframes, a community of photographers in association with the Forest department and the Department of Museums and Zoos, at the auditorium.

Minister for Health K. Muraleedharan, who presided over the function, said the upkeep of facilities created for the public was everyone’s responsibility. The museum was capable of attracting even more tourists, the Minister said.

The stairlift was installed using ₹9 lakh from the Museum Plan funds. A ramp have also been built at the 3D theatre while handrails were installed for the existing ramp at the Natural History Museum. The ramp work was at a cost of around ₹6.7 lakh.

Zoo and Museum Director P.S. Manjula Devi was present at the function.

Published - July 29, 2026 10:06 pm IST