Ramp, belts for crutches: Bus for disabled soldiers

Purchased at a cost of Rs 8 lakh, the seats have been fitted to face each other, while the width of the door has been increased to 935 mm. There is a single flap door at the rear while the footstep height has been reduced to 300 mm. The bus also has belts to hold crutches.

Even if there are 80-100 disabled persons at ALC, the bus can take groups of 20 people for excursions, says Col Ravindranath. He adds the step will help relieve the boredom of the soldiers. For example, the centre recently took a group of soldiers for the passing out parade at the NDA.

Most soldiers are fitted with prosthesis manufactured at the ALC. The centre also provides children with polio and cerebral palsy assistance devices. It manufactures 5,000 such appliances every year.