Modern bus Q-shelters still out of reach

Members of Svayam,an NGO working with the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to provide accessible bus Q-shelters all over Delhi,say that while the NDMC’s intention may have been good,the final product needs to incorporate minor but important features to be labelled disabled friendly.

The bus shelters’ design and execution have been done by JC Decaux. At many shelters,advertisement boards have been placed right in the middle of the footpath leading to the shelter,blocking the way off.

Sminu Jindal,founder of Svayam,said: “NDMC needs to make their shelters accessible from the road and place rails on both sides of the stands to make them fully accessible to people with disabilities.”

The NDMC had started the project to modernise bus stands in 1998 on a BOT basis. Package 1 of the project involved building 89 such bus Q-shelters in the north of Rajpath.

In view of the Delhi government spending crores of rupees to procure disabled friendly low-floor buses,the need for accessible bus Q-shelters becomes even more important. With the Commonwealth Games less than a year away,the NDMC is in the process of revamping many of its footpaths where these shelters will be installed,Mukesh Bhatt,member of the NDMC Council,said.

“We have noticed the problem and in the new bus Q-shelters,we will try and incorporate all the necessary guidelines to make them accessible to all,” Bhatt added.

The NDMC is building new shelters on the routes leading to the Commonwealth Games venues as well.