Should we not demand concession for all travellers having 40% disability?
Section 2T of the PWD Act, 1995 identifies such persons as disabled.
Best regards,
Amiyo Biswas.
Cell: +91-9433464329
----- Original Message -----
From: "Pamnani" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Cc: "Secretatiat" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 9:25 AM
Subject: [AI] Railway Budget
We have been expressing our concern and anguish regarding the railways
on this list. Now is the time to act. I am copying below some points which
can be sent to the Railway Minister. many of us are affected lets see how
many of us are really bothered. if you are not only an arm chair complainer
then please send out a letter to the Railway minister on similar lines and
send a copy to Secretatiat
E-mail Address(es):
[email protected]
Ms. Mamta Banerjee
Hon’ble Minister for Railways
Room No. 239
Rail Bhavan
New Delhi – 110 001
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE RAILWAY BUDGET VIS-À-VIS DISABILITY
Travelling in train continues to be an ordeal for disabled people and senior
citizens in our country. Their safety and needs should be taken into account
while planning the Railway Budget.
Even though The Disability Act (enacted over a decade ago) mandates railway
stations and coaches to be made barrier free for disabled people, its
implementation leaves much to be desired.
Following are some of the suggestions for the Rail Budget with respect to
the needs of people with disabilities:
a.. Railway Stations: Railway stations are not accessible for people with
disabilities. Apart from a ramp (sometimes it is just a slope and not a
proper ramp!) which is available in some stations and reserved parking,
there are no facilities for people with disabilities at the stations. The
issue of accessing the reserved parking, reaching the various platforms and
getting on to the train for people with mobility impairment; making
enquiries and getting information about rail routes, arrival/departure, etc.
for hearing impaired people; and safe and independent mobility and access to
information for visually impaired persons are not being taken into account
while renovating/upgrading the railway stations. Specific Plan (covering all
aspects of accessibility for disabled people) should be prepared to make all
stations disabled friendly. All passenger amenities that are being planned
should ensure that they cater to the needs of disabled passengers as well.
There should be availability of serviceable wheelchairs at every platform
and sign language interpreters at every station.
a.. Coaches: There are now ‘special coaches’ for disabled people in
certain trains. The approach is exclusionary and defeats the very purpose of
inclusiveness and a universally accessible environment. The coach is
totally disconnected from all other compartments. Only 8 passengers along
with the escorts can travel. The design of ALL coaches should follow the
universal design concept and should be accessible for all. There should be
a clear plan to design coaches which are inclusive, so that disabled people
can travel with dignity and comfort in whichever class or compartment that
they wish to, from say a general category bogey to a Ist AC Coach!
a.. Allocating appropriate seats in coaches: While booking tickets using
the Railway Concession Forms, persons with disabilities and their escorts
should be assigned seats according to their preference, such as lower
berths, seats near the entry/exit of the coach, etc.
a.. Railway Concessions: Concessions are available only for mail and
express trains but not for superfast trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, etc.
The disability concessions should be available in all trains including local
trains.
a.. Procedure for availing concession: The whole procedure of getting
concession is very complicated. ‘Disability Certificate’ issued by
Government to people with disability is not valid for railway concession!
People with disability have to collect a Railway concession Form from DRM’s
office, fill it in, and go through medical examination once again to get the
concession. Also, they come with 5 years validity and need to be renewed.
Disability Certificate should be considered as a valid proof for availing
railway concession.
a.. On-line Ticket Booking: On-line booking is a great boon. However,
disabled people cannot buy their tickets online, as they have to submit the
railway concession form while booking their tickets. This really makes it
very difficult for people with disability. Disabled people should be allowed
to book their tickets online (One can give the details online, which can be
cross checked by T.C. at the time of the Journey, as it is done in the case
of Senior Citizens).
a.. The Indian Railways Website should be made accessible for people with
disabilities. It should comply with the guidelines announced by the
Department of Technology (DIT) on web accessibility (WCAG 2.0).
a.. Training of the railway staff: Disabled people often face a lot of
issues dealing with railway staff who are not only ill informed about
disability concessions & procedures but are also insensitive and misbehave
with them. There should be a system to make disability training mandatory
for all railway staff.
Kanchan Pamnani
Advocate & Solicitor
9, Suleman Chambers,
Battery Street, Colaba,
Mumbai - 400 039.
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