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.
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--
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
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