It is scary. Thank God Sweety is safe. Delhi Metro must take note of this. They take pride in their accessibility effort/commitment.
-----Original Message----- From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Vikas Kapoor Sent: 01 March 2014 17:32 To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issuesconcerning the disabled. Subject: [AI] Visually impaired girl escapes accident at metro station 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 Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessin dia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ 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 Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ 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 Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
