Dear Friend Harish, Let me first of all congratulate you for this draft. I do not know whether there is any specific context to this petition or that it is a result of our general problems we have been facing with the railways. Anyhow, it is quite in order. Other things being fine, I have some apprehension about the demand for tactiles. I have been thinking about it for quite a long time; discussing it in my group in the Delhi University, since I am a part of a body, which is supposed to carry out the accessibility of infrastructure in our University. Tactiles can be very useful in certain contexts, particularly when laying the tactiles involve intelligent guidance. However, we have found that there are many kinds of limitations with tactiles, they are not so easily recognizable, particularly in the muddy areas or on the rough terrains. They are easily breakable or detachable. All railway platforms are not smooth like the Delhi, Mumbai or Chinnai stations. They are also very expensive. Moreover, it would require a sensitization drive at a large scale to make ordinary, illiterate, visually persons of rural and semi-urban areas aware about the relevance of the tictiles. Such people constitute the majority of V.H. population; and such a mission from the Government seems very less likely. Therefore, I think that on this issue, we need to think little more. I do not have a readymade answer to these queries. I can simply suggest that we need to think about it; and finding an alternative is not impossible. The situation in the metropolitan cities as well as in the advance countries of the West is different in a number of ways, which I am not going to outline here. The simple point is that imitating their model may not help us. Moreover, once something is done in the Government sector it becomes very difficult to change their perspective. Can we think of proposing that there should be a fixed spot for each train to stop at a platform, so that railings can be constructed with small gaps marked by tactiles (or with something else) in front of the gaits of the train coaches. OR, can we think of small (say half brick) wall parallel to the railway line on the platform, which would have fixed identified spots in front of the entry points of the train coaches? The first option has been successfully tried by Delhi Metro at certain stations. The second one is also not impossible to carry out. There are many other things, which one can suggest to make railways more accessible for V.H. However, unfortunately, because of the paucity of time, I shall stopp here. With best wishes
Vikas Gupta Assistant Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences, (Opposite Daulatram College), Delhi University, Delhi 110007. Residence: D II/1, University Flats, Maurice Nagar, Delhi University, Delhi 110007. Ph: 011-27662347 & 09818193875 Email: vikas...@gmail.com On 2/10/10, Kotian, H P <hpkot...@rbi.org.in> wrote: > > Hello All > > Placed below is the draft petition which we shall be sending to the railway > minister. If there is any omission pl let us know by feb 11. > > Let me clarify, we have only mentioned visually disabled as we believe we > should speak for that sectorfor which we are qualified to do so. Otherwise > it would be speaking "for" them and we would be committing the same error > for which we find uncomfortable when others tend to do for us the blind. > > We shall fully support the endeavor from the other segment of the disabled. > We shall also include in this petition if it comes from those persons or > representative organizations. > > Pl read on > Warmly > Harish Kotian > Honorable Minister for Railways > Respected Madam > > Accessibility policy in the railway budget > > On behalf of the blind community and disability community at large, we > request you to include an accessibility policy while presenting the > forthcoming railway budget. > > Justification: A large number of disabled passengers avail the services of > the railways and find the services to be unfriendly and not meeting the > minimum accessibility requirements under the law. This has resulted in > needless hardship and accidents which could have been easily avoided. This > Grimm outlook however, can be reversed with an effective, comprehensive > accessibility policy. > > Scope: It should touch all services rendered by the railways and should not > only cover the passengers but should also extend to all disabled employees. > We would like the railways to also be the largest equal opportunity > employer. > > Problems faced by blind passengers and solutions: > > Problem: The ticket clerks often are unwilling to issue concessional tickets > despite possessing valid concession certificates. > Solution: proper awareness training be imparted and the practice of > deducting the differential amount in case of erroneous concession ticket > from the salary of the concerned clerk be done away with. Only a penalty be > imposed. > > Problem: Concessional tickets cannot be booked on the online portal. > Solution: e booking of concession tickets be introduced either by creating > facilities for uploading scanned copy of disability certificate and > verifying it during journey, or by requiring one-time registration of all > disability certificates in a centralized database at > > the time of booking first e ticket by a disabled passenger. > > Problem: Many accidents are caused by blind persons falling to the tracks > from the platform. > Solution: This can be avoided if tactile markings are made on the edges of > the platforms. Similar tactile marking should be made on the platform to > guide blind persons to lead to the exit, bridges, ticketing counters, coach > for the disabled etc. The tactile markings should also be painted with high > contrast color for low vision persons. > > Problem: Accidents are also caused by blind persons slipping into the space > between compartments. > Solution: This gap should be filled up appropriately. > > Problem: There is general lack of information, not only to disabled > passengers but also to all passengers about approaching station, time of > arrival there etc. > Solution: There should be internal announcement announcing the direction and > the name of the approaching station. > > Problem: The status of disabled or handicapped coach is far from clear. On > one hand, it is meant for disabled travelers with general tickets and on the > other hand, nowadays, reservations in Handicapped quota are being allotted > in handicapped coach. Further, there is always confusion regarding whether a > particular train does have handicapped coach and if yes, where it is exactly > located, whether in the front or at back. This requires disabled passengers > to run helter-skelter for locating it, defeating the very purpose of such a > coach. Further, more often than not, it is occupied by able bodied > unauthorized passengers and is not vestibuled rendering seeking any > assistance by disabled passengers from RPF or ticket checking staff > extremely difficult. > Solution: Handicapped coach be clearly designated for travelers with > disabilities and their escorts with general ordinary tickets and > reservations in handicapped quota berths be given in the sleeper coach as > was being done earlier. This would fulfill the purpose of the handicapped > coach in the true sense of the term. All the coaches in the train and > > toilets in them be made disabled friendly. > The handicapped coach be vestibuled and placed approximately in the middle > of the train, to avoid difficulties in locating it and also from safety > point of view, as assistance can be readily sought by disabled passengers in > case of unauthorized occupancy and such passengers shifted to adjacent > coaches, or in case of any emergency. > There should be a facilitation counter to help senior citizens, patients and > disabled passengers > > > Such an accessibility policy should invariably have definite funds allocated > to it and must have specified targets to be achieved in the year. > > There should be a theme based annual accessibility audit. Its findings > should be posted at the railway's portal. > There should be a statement on accessibility in every railway budget. > > Benefit: It would not only help the disabled, but would be generally useful > to all passengers. It would also be conforming to international treaties and > best practices. > > > ________________________________ > Notice: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and > intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are > addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, use, > review, distribution, printing or copying of the information contained in > this e-mail message and/or attachments to it are strictly prohibited. If you > have received this email by error, please notify us by return e-mail or > telephone and immediately and permanently delete the message and any > attachments. The recipient should check this email and any attachments for > the presence of viruses. The Bank accepts no liability for any damage caused > by any virus transmitted by this email. > > > To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with > the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > -- Vikas Gupta Assistant Professor, Department of History, Social Science Building, Arts Faculty, Delhi University, Delhi 110007. Residence: D II/1, University Flats, Maurice Nagar, Delhi 110007. Ph: 011-27662347 & 09818193875 Email: vikas...@gmail.com To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
