Rail Budget: Activists say disabled get raw deal in budget

NEW DELHI: Several measures announced by railway minister Dinesh Trivedi for the differently-abled has been slammed as tokenism by activists espousing their cause.
Scoffing at the announcements, many feel these measures, if implemented, would pay lip service to alleviating the problems of the differently-abled.
The railway minister said his ministry would work towards providing special coaches with compartments and toilets adapted to the needs of the differently-abled.The railways has so far designed 2,100 such coaches and intends to have one such coach in each express and mail. Trivedi also said the budget would consider making platforms and stations more accessible to them.
Shalini Khanna, honorary director, NAB India Centre For Blind Women And Disability Studies, was appalled at the measures announced by Trivedi. Increasing the number of special coaches, she said, was a way of further isolating the differently abled.
“Why are you isolating them? Why can’t every coach of the train be disabled friendly? You cannot isolate them from the general environment,” she said.
Khanna said providing more coaches does not help the cause. “With the present arrangement how do they expect a disabled person to travel from one platform to another? What about restrooms, eating joints, among others. Are they disabled friendly?” she asked. While the railways might have the basics like wheel-chairs and ramps, there are no sign-boards or instructions to guide passengers, she said.
Even though Javed Abidi of National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People welcomed the increase in the number of special coaches for the differently-abled, he too raised questions on the inclusivity of the differently-abled with other passengers.
“Why should there be just one coach for the differently-abled in the train. In fact, every class should have one such coach. They should be given the same choices and amenities as other passengers,” he said.
Abidi said increasing the number of coaches will not make travelling comfortable for the differently-abled. “The management of disabled-friendly coaches in trains is dismal. They are mostly used by railway and security staff,” he said.
Akhileshwar Singh, a differently-abled student, travelling in Poorva Express from New Delhi to Howrah, echoed similar views. “There is a coach for me but I am not able to utilize it. Often I do not get a place to sit as the coach is crammed with passengers,” he said.
G Syamala, member of Action For Ability Development and Inclusion, too says a lot needs to be done in this regard. She says a major change can be brought about if these decisions are made at the policy level and there is a considerable allocation of funds. “The authorities have to allocate 3% of the budget for it and look at every amenity that is being provided. They should have a clear-cut plan, which should be implemented in a phased manner,” she said.
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