Chennai: Railway stations turn blind to differently-abled

Chennai: Though Chennai boasts three major railway networks – Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) and suburban rail to connect the length and breadth of the city -  it remains inaccessible to Persons with Disabilities (PwD), as the stations lack proper ramp facilities making it difficult to board and detrain smoothly.

There are more than 10 lakh passengers who use the suburban services daily and they had been raising the issue of the stations not being disabled-friendly for a long time. Yet, the plight remains the same.

 “We opt for the facility because it assures hassle-free travel. None of the stations has wheelchairs and it is impossible to board the train without somebody’s help. Ideally, the police patrolling in the area must help, but most of the stations lack police patrol,” rued 21-year-old K. Prakrithi.

  Even if ramps are available, their surfaces are not slip resistant. They either don’t have an upstand or a low rail to prevent a wheelchair from running off the edge.

 Niveditha Krishna, a regular commuter said she is forced to use stairs in the railway stations and as even they lack slip resistance, there are high chances of falling. “The ticket counters must be built at a height of 7.75 metres for a wheelchair to access them. Not even one percent of them are built in that way,” she said.

 The Southern Railway officials were promising to build a lift in Egmore and Tambaram railway stations to make it disabled friendly from over two years, yet no action is taken as of now. Also, people rue that the ramps outside the Egmore station are often blocked with vehicles.

 Even in metro stations, many a times front wheels of the chair get stuck in between the platform and rake. And the 30-second time gap before the doors close makes it impossible for a wheelchair bound person with no volunteers to help to board the train.

 When contacted, officials from Southern Railway said they would provide wheelchairs by the end of July and work on bettering the condition of ramps and lifts.

Facilities mandatory for disabled persons

• Provision of standard ramp with railing for barrier free entry
•  Earmarking of at least one parking lot for two vehicles used by disabled persons
•  Provision of a non-slippery walkway from parking lot to building
•  Provision of signages of appropriate visibility
•  Provision of at least one drinking water tap suitable for use by a disabled person
•  Provision of at least one toilet on the ground floor
•  ‘May I help You’ booth.