Disabled passengers are unable to
board the special compartment provided for them in trains since it is
jam-packed with families travelling during the summer holidays. A
separate queue for disabled persons in many stations is also invaded all
the time by ‘normal’ persons. The parking lot for the disabled at
Egmore railway station is encroached upon and the information boards
thrown out long ago. In short, train journey are a nightmare for many
disabled persons.
Where would the disabled ever be able to board these suburban trains which are always running packed to the hilt?
Last week, disabled passenger M. Deepak
(32) missed the train from Chennai Central to Erode as the parking area
for the disabled was taken up by vendors and he had to walk back all the
way from Moore Market where he left his vehicle. By the time he reached
the platform the train had left.
Physically
challenged Rajeshwari is fed up with waiting in long queues to get
tickets. “The very thought of travelling by train is sickening. ‘Normal’
persons do not understand that the exclusive counter for disabled
persons should not be misused.
When
we enter the station, climbing the narrow steps to reach the platform
is another torture,” she said. Like Deepak and Rajeshwari hundreds of
disabled passengers suffer untold misery. There have been cases where
normal persons have attacked the disabled passengers when they
questioned why they were occupying seats in the disabled compartment.
“We
file complaints with the station master. We inform the helpline and
even send mails and letters to the Union railway minister. But all the
responses end up as token reactions and no sustainable efforts have been
taken to ensure that disabled persons travel safely,” said P.
Simmachandran, secretary, Tamil Nadu Differently-abled Federation
Charitable Trust.
Railway
officials maintain that they take action on specific complaints. They
promise that they will take immediate steps on complaints from disabled
passengers.
Source : Deccan Chronicle , 6th May 2013
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