Poor access irks diff-abled at Little Mount Metro

CHENNAI: Various differently-abled persons have raised concerns on the hurdles in navigating inside and outside the metro stations as the ongoing retrofitting has made most of CMRL stations difficult to access.

The Little Mount Metro station complicates issues with teething issues concerning parking, navigating the park space and bollard placement outside the station, say activists. Speaking to DT NEXT, D Ghana Bharathi, the member of Disability Rights Alliance (DRA) said, “placement of bollards are hindering access for wheelchair users in the station. After parking my vehicle, I have to go far off to the left side to reach the station. The ill-designed bollards are forcing me to access the station via the main road on my wheelchair, which is risky.”

Surface of the roads and pathways in and around the station are uneven posing challenges for wheelchair users, Ghana Bharathi added. “There are lots of bumps and potholes on the roads and pathways. I am forced to depend on people to enter the station, who lift me up with the wheelchair, as wheels get stuck on uneven surfaces,” he said.

Access after alighting from the Metro is also problematic in the station, another differently-abled person pointed out. “After disembarking the train, others can use the bridge to reach the parking lot. But differently-abled persons have no choice but to come to the main road to reach the parking lot,” the person added. Apart from being cumbersome, this puts differently-abled people at risk of accidents, the members charged.

Attempts by DT Next to get a response from CMRL were in vain.