Blind commuters request for better accessibility in rail stations in Chennai

CHENNAI: Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are waiting for the upcoming railway budget, hoping that it would soon address their long-pending demands.

One of the major demands from the disabled community is the installation of a Braille system across all stations, and concessions for long distance journeys.

The visually-challenged vendors who sell snacks and other eatables in stations lament over the lack of accessibility in the trains. “It’s difficult to board and deboard trains. Most of the time, the public helps us, as we cannot see the steps,” said K Nehru, a seller.

They also urge the railways to extend the renewal time of their concession card, as they point out the logistical difficulty in visiting the offices on time. For long-distance journeys, PwDs are provided with a concession card which should be paid using the disability card. There are both physical and online modes of applying for the card.

“The concession card is provided after a long process, which is very difficult for us to go through each time. We have to wait for months to get the card,” said K Raghuraman, assistant professor, Government Arts College, Nandanam. “We also need information about the trains on which the disabled coaches are available.”

“The once-in-five-year concession takes several weeks for renewal. The railways must provide lifelong or long term renewable concession cards, and the documentation process should be less cumbersome,” said R Kannan.

Concurring with both of them was S Namburajan, state VP, Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of the Differently Abled and Caregivers, who added: “For the visually-challenged people, platforms must have tactile floors, and announcements must be made intermittently. The Braille system must be available at all stations. Currently, it’s available only in coaches.”

When contacted, an official attached to the Chennai division of Southern Railway, said that the space between the platforms and coach floors was according to the Railway Board’s rule. “There are also signage boards, tactile floors, and announcements in major stations. There is an app that provides details about stations,” he added.

“The concession is provided according to the percentage of disability they have. There is a maximum of 75% and a minimum of 50% of disability. The renewal time is also according to the percentage of disability. For people with maximum disability, the concession is given for life. Currently, there are also facilities to apply online for the concession.”