MRUNMAIY ABROAL is a wheelchair user who moved to Bengaluru six years ago to work at Amazon. The 42-year-old suffered a cervical spinal cord injury in a road accident in 2011 that left her paralysed below the shoulders. Following the incident, Abroal said, her life had been turned “upside down”, but she was determined to make things work again.
Despite her injuries, she promised herself that she would live life to the fullest. From scuba diving to paramotoring, she has continued to chase new adventures and experiences, no matter the hurdles. But one of the hardest challenges she has had to face is finding an affordable, wheelchair-accessible home. When I spoke to her, Abroal was living with her two parents in a suitable two-bedroom flat in Bengaluru. But the landlord had increased the rent, and, unable to afford the new price, she and her parents had received a one-month eviction notice, forcing them to search for a new place to live.
The family’s search for a suitable home became a series of disappointments, as most rental listings had barriers to accessibility: narrow doorways, a lack of ramps or bathrooms unsuitable for wheelchair users. An active renting crisis has exacerbated the situation, leaving them feeling increasingly frustrated and excluded. Abroal is not alone in her struggles to find a safe, affordable and accessible home. Many disabled people in India report having to pay higher rents than normal in order to have a suitable home, and finding few amenities to accommodate their needs.
According to a recent report by the real-estate services company Anarock Property Consultants, residential rental costs in Bengaluru have spiked by 31 percent in the first nine months of 2023. Such spikes, and the rental affordability crisis that has come with them, are not isolated to Bengaluru. Other major metropolitan areas in India, including Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi and Mumbai, have also seen substantial recent increases in rental prices.