Disabled again by poor facilities

Three wheelchairs but poor accessibility to trains or toilets

The Pune Railway Station has three wheelchairs one more than the minimum number notified by the Railway Board but at least 20 disabled persons visit the station a day and availing oneself of the facility is difficult during rush hours.

We have complied with the railway board guidelines. We have ramps to provide for basic facilities for the disabled. There are three wheelchairs while the minimum number required is only two, says Alok Badkul,senior deputy commercial manager,Central Railway,Pune. A closer look,however, reveals a lacunae in the upkeep and maintenance of these facilities. A separate ticket counter,window number 30,has been earmarked for the disabled but it also caters to ladies, senior citizens,VIPs and foreigners. Shweta Mantri,24,of Give Some Space,an initiative working for accessibility for the disabled in public spaces,feels the basic facilities need to be reinstated. Often,getting a wheelchair at the railway station is an impossible task. Also,a lot of trains are completely inaccessible. While drinking water facility and similar arrangements are being made,an improvement in basic services is needed to make the station more accessible.

The toilet for the disabled on platform number one is virtually inaccessible. Rohit Bhosle of the NGO Bhaivtavya,who himself is physically handicapped,attests. The toilet has been made,but sadly it does not follow the international standards. The height and space are not made according to the requirements.

Facilities like beepers for the visually impaired are also missing. The station has nothing to offer to the visually impaired. Add to this the sudden changes in arrival and departure of trains; it all becomes very inconvenient, says Satish Navle of Blind Students Learning Centre,University of Pune.

A battery-operated car,marked for the disabled,parked outside platform number one is awaiting repairs. The service,dispensed by Chennai-based outdoor media company Srishti Communications,had received good response earlier with at least 15 persons using it a day. However,it was not allowed to ply on the foot overbridge and other platforms during peak hours. The foot overbridge is very narrow. During rush hours from 4 pm to 7 pm,the passenger movement is very high,which leads to problems. That is why we stopped the car from plying on it during those hours, station manager Sachindra Saxena says.

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