Hello all
As requested, I am reposting below the final draft.
The contact details of the Minister and Minister for state are:
Kumari Mamata Banerjee
Minister +91 11 23381213
+91 11 23386645
+91 11 23303768
+91 11 23387333 (Fax)
+91 11 23017061 (PH)
+91 11 23034153 (PH)
+91 11 23722975
Office of the Minister of State for Railways
Shri K H Muniyappa
Minister of State +91 11 23388190
+91 11 23382490
+91 11 23381634 (Fax)
+91 11 23794481
+91 11
They don't have Email Id's and one can only FAX.
Address:
Rail Bhawan,
New Delhi - 110 001
Members and organizations are free to make any addition or deletion to this
draft or copy it. I acknowledge and all thank all members for enthusiastically
participating in the making of this document.
Read on
Warmly
Harish Kotian
Moderator.
AccessIndia
February 11, 2010
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 laws, like persons with Disabilities act, 1995. 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:
Ticket booking and reservation
Problem:
The ticket clerks often are unwilling to issue concessional tickets to the
disabled and visually impaired in particular, despite possessing valid
concession certificates.
Solution: proper awareness training be imparted to the booking staff 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:
There is no uniformity in the format of the railway concession certificate to
be produced at the time of booking tickets and it is subject to frequent
changes, sometimes at the whims of booking officials.
Solution:
The concession tickets be booked on the production of disability certificate
issued by medical board in accordance with law, and a separate format for the
same be done away with as it causes needless hardship.
Problem:
Concession tickets are issued only to completely blind individuals leading to
undue discrimination to those with residual sight and arbitrariness on the part
of booking officials.
Solution:
Concession tickets be issued to all severely disabled passengers, i.e.
passengers with disability of 80% or above according to current law.
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:
Reservation forms required to be filled at the time of reserving berths can not
be independently filled by a blind traveler.
Solution:
E booking of tickets be facilitated for blind travelers. In addition to it,
the printed reservation forms which a blind person can independently fill up,
or have them filled before coming to station, be duly accepted, extending due
assistance for signing at the correct place etc. by reservation clerks.
Problem:
Lower berth quota does not include persons with disabilities and HP quota is
too little.
Solution: The categories specified for availing lower berth quota should also
include persons with disabilities. The berths in HP quota be increased to at
least six from current two. The said HP quota also be introduced in AC3 tire.
Accessible infrastructure
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, stairs, 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, along with a query system whereby any
passenger can know about current location of the train.
Problem:
Displays on the platforms about coach position etc. are not accessible to blind
passengers as they are essentially visual in nature. Coach numbers written on
coaches are inaccessible, even platform numbers are not independently knowable.
Solution:
A toll-free telephone line be set up at each station speaking out the currently
displayed items on the displays of the station for blind passengers to dial and
get information. Alternatively, standalone IVRS machines be installed at
various location in the station premises including at the facilitation counter
for disabled/senior citizens/patients, which would verbalize all the
information displayed on various displays at the press of a button. For this
such machines be linked to display systems and be equipped with text to speech
softwares.
Platform numbers may be labeled in Braille at the entrance gates of platforms
and also on the railing of the foot overbridge at the place of climbing down
onto a particular platform. The coaches may be fitted with audio announcing
systems which would announce coach number while the train is on the station, in
a sufficient voice to make passengers in the vicinity hear. It would benefit
all passengers in addition to blind travelers, particularly in the night.
Besides, the PNR enquiry site and the PNR enquiry phone number should have an
independent option to check the position of any coach including the handicapped
coach and the general unreserved coaches, in addition to giving such
information when PNR status is checked.
Handicapped coach
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. Besides, the
location of the handicapped coach at the fag end or beginning of the wrack,
makes it difficult to board due to absence of overhead shade and even platform
floor many a times towards the extremities. 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.
Instead of attaching the handicapped coach at the fag end or beginning of the
wrack, 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.
Staff Support
Problem:
There is virtually no or little support from railway staff for blind/disabled
passengers while at the station or in the train, barring at a few stations. The
"may I help you" counter is more often than not, non-functional, and is hardly
equipped or informed to deal with specific needs for the disabled passengers.
Solution:
There should be a facilitation counter to help senior citizens, patients and
disabled passengers. It should be properly equipped with necessary information
and facilities like trained human support, IVRS machines announcing displayed
information, etc.
An ongoing and consultative affair
Such an accessibility policy should invariably have definite funds allocated to
it and must have specified targets to be achieved in the year.
Further, it should be dynamic in nature reflecting ever changing scenario and
needs of the disabled passengers to bring about a hassle free and equalizing
ambience while traveling with Indian Railways.
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.
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 as outlined by, inter alia, UN convention on the rights of the
persons with disabilities, International treaty on Air travel etc. besides
fulfilling the mandates of the domestic laws providing for accessible built
environment and transport facilities in India.
Thanking you in anticipation
Yours sincerely
H.P. Kotian
Moderator: Accessindia
Website:
http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
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