Visually impaired girl escapes accident at metro station
Sowmiya Ashok
The gap between the platform and a Delhi Metro train got the better of a
visually impaired commuter on Thursday evening as she was about to board the
train at the Nehru Place metro station. Sweety Bhalla, a government employee,
who was entering the train found her legs collapsing into the gap - which was
not exceptionally large. But for two male co-passengers, who hurriedly pulled
her up, she could have suffered grievous injuries. The incident happened around
5-20 p.m.
"I put a leg forward thinking I will step on the train but my left leg went in
completely into the gap between the platform and the train. It was so
unexpected, I couldn't understand and when I was pulled up I felt bruises on my
right ankle, knee and elbow," she said. Fortunately for Ms. Bhalla, her
co-passengers helped her up before the train's doors shut on her.
A resident of Karol Bagh, Ms. Bhalla travels from Jhandewalan to Nehru Place
and back on a daily basis. "The gaps at all stations should be uniform so that
no untoward incident happens. This is especially dangerous for young children
who can fall into the gap while boarding or de-boarding the train at rush
hours," she said. "The problem is that in some places the gap is smaller and at
others it's larger. There should be some uniformity," she added.
Ms. Bhalla said similar incidents have happened twice before at Rajiv Chowk and
Udyog Bhavan stations. "There is a lot of rush especially at stations such as
Rajiv Chowk. The Metro should have segregated entry and exit points into trains
so it helps manage the crowds in an orderly manner."
Ms. Bhalla, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, which has rendered her blind
since birth, was part of a committee that did an external audit on the first
line of the Delhi Metro that connected Welcome and Kashmere Gate.
"I was part of a 'disability committee' that provided inputs to the Delhi Metro
on how to make stations friendly for Persons with Disability. We had then
reviewed three stations," she said.
Following Thursday's incident, she rang the helpline number of the Delhi Metro
and was told that she will be contacted after the footage from the station is
reviewed.
A Delhi Metro spokesperson said that at the point of frisking, Ms. Bhalla was
asked by CISF staff if she needed assistance to reach the train but she
declined because her colleague had accompanied her to the station. "We do make
regular announcements asking passengers to mind the gap between the platform
and the train. The passenger had called the helpline number but it takes some
time to review the footage," said the spokesperson.
However, Ms. Bhalla denies Delhi Metro's version that she was asked if she
needed assistance.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/city
Vikas Kapoor,
Mobile: (+91) 9891098137
Skype Id: dl_vikas
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