Disabled face railway bias

Kochi: The physically-challenged persons have been denied certain benefits in trains if they book tickets online.  The privileges include a reservation quota of two sleeper class berths for them and their attendants in all trains running on non-suburban section. Similarly, specially designed unreserved coaches known as SLRD coaches are also attached for such persons in a large number of long distance mail/express trains.

However, a large number of them cannot enjoy the benefits because they book the tickets online.

“They cannot also avail of the 50 per cent reduction in fares upon booking the tickets online that they could have got if the tickets were booked from stations/ reservation counters. However, the contradictory part is that most of the physically-challenged book tickets online as it’s difficult for them to personally come to the station,” said a railway official on condition of anonymity.

“The railways should at least introduce an option on the IRCTC website for availing of the reservation quota, forget about the monetary part. This even as for the students’ concession tickets, the discount fares, will be reimbursed upon showing the tickets at reservation counters along with the proof,” said Mr Paul K.J. Manvettom, president of All-Kerala Railway Users’ Association.

The railways otherwise give top priority to disabled commuters. It’s only a couple of days back that the Railway Protection Force conducted a sensitisation camp for its officers and staff under the title ‘Empathise with disabled persons’ as part of the ongoing programme of Southern Railway to provide hassle-free train journey for differently-abled persons.

SLRD coaches are the ones with wider entrance doors to allow a wheel chair to enter, wider aisles and modified toilet to facilitate physically challenged persons.