Very sad I spoke with Sweety a short while back and she is very hurt and
very shaken. She is almost losing her confidence of travelling
independently around! In case that happens, what will become of her? How
does she remain a contributing member of the society? And who then is
going
to look after her and her little daughter?
The gap is enormous where she fell and there are no raised borders to
indicate the end of the platform to indicate to blind passengers that
there
is the danger of falling into the rails?
In fact not only children, but this could have happened to anyone! In the
kind of rush at office hours in the Metros, even people who can see cant
actually make out where they are placing their feet!
I think instead of playing the blame game, the authorities might as well
do
something about this kind of situation. It maybe one of these days, the
next
person to slip down that gap is a dear one of the people who are today
responsible to be able to bring about these small improvements for blind
commuters, and of whom there are many!
Warmly
Preeti
Preeti Monga
Director
Mobile: +91 9871701646
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-----Original Message-----
From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On
Behalf
Of Vikas Kapoor
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2014 5:32 PM
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
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2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails
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Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of
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Disclaimer:
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veracity;
2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails
sent through this mailing list..
