Hyderabad: Will the Hyderabad Metro be a mode of transport that allows the disabled to travel with dignity? Accessibility experts in the city who have assisted the metro rail authorities in auditing their services seem to believe so.
Narsing Rao Bongurah, the founder of Wonder of Wheelchair, has been a wheelchair-user for a most of his lifetime. “I have personally audited the services and find them to be satisfactory,” he says. He explains that the metro has been designed keeping in mind the needs of persons with physical, visual and auditory disabilities.
“There are proper ramps, which can accommodate wheelchairs, at Nagole Station. There are also wide lifts providing access to the station, with Braille numbering and text on the buttons, which will be of great help,” he says.
Specially embossed tiles have been used at the stations so as to allow visually impaired persons to be able to navigate without assistance. Blind persons can use their canes to feel the embossing on the tiles, which will direct them right up to the entrances of trains.
Experts are, however, seeking clarity regarding the accessibility provisions available at the time of ticket booking. M. Srinivasulu, president of the Network of Persons with Disability, says, “Often the counters are too high or there are no separate queues for disabled persons. We are hoping that these issues will be addressed by the metro rail authorities.”
The location of the entry points of stations is also a cause of worry. A majority of them are located right next to busy roads, which means that disabled persons will have to wade through traffic to get to them.
Anju Khemani, a disability consultant, says, “They must ensure they have anti-skid floors, or else it can be very dangerous for crutch-users and the physically disabled.”
Disabled persons and experts say that they will only be able to give their final verdict after experiencing metro-rail travel for themselves, especially during rush hour. “The situation may be entirely different during rush hour. As of now, the authorities say that we will be provided with additional security to allow us to enter the trains, as the doors will only open for a few seconds. But only time will tell how feasible their system is,” says Bala Krishna Reddy, a disability consultant.
