Chennai: Even though the new metro rail line between airport and Little Mount has been opened a year after the previous line, metro rail compartments and station premises were found to be as inaccessible to differently-abled as it was last time.
If she wanted to take a ride on the metro alone, Smitha Sadasivan, of the Disability Rights Alliance, realized that it would not be possible. Last year when the Alandur to Koyambedu line of the metro rail opened, lack of accessibility for the differently-abled came as a rude shock to them.
When Smitha tried getting on to the metro again on Saturday, the front wheels of her wheelchair got stuck in the gap between the platform and the rake. Metro officials present for the audit said that in order for the rake to move safely, at least 50 mm gap is a must.
The question remains, when a train stops only for 30 seconds at every intermediate station, how is a wheelchair-bound person going to help oneself inside the train?
Lack of signages at the sprawling stations was a problem that irked most passengers, making it even more difficult for differently-abled, also due to lack of staff for assistance.
“After choosing the help sign at the ticket vending machines (TVM), a station staff came to the rescue only after 15 minutes,” said Vaishnavi Jayakumar. For the visually impaired, though earphones can be used at the TVMs, there is neither voice-based assistance nor Braille at the sides of the screens, which could assist them with the options that are visible on the screen. “We are still working with banks for card facilities and improving the Braille experience for the blind.
In three to four months, newer machines will be used,” said A Sankaramurthi, joint general manager — Signal, CMRL. Gana Bharathi, a researcher at the Central Leather Research Institute, said: “There is only one wheelchair at every station, which is too less. Also, I was unable to use the washroom at all. ”
