HYDERABAD: Even as the Telangana Department for Disabled Welfare is in the process of making public transport facilities accessible for persons with disabilities, the Hyderabad Metro Rail, that is to become functional in a few weeks, says it will follow suit. Officials say the spaces like stations, lifts, ticket counters and even the trains have been planned based on consultations with experts and persons with disabilities and that “anyone would be able to travel without a hassle.”
Friendly Environment for the Disabled, a pan-India organisation, was asked for suggestions while designing the new transportation system. President of the organisation, M Rangaram, who is partially-blind, made a couple of visits to Nagole station.“I made a visit first after which we connected with several other organisations and sent groups of people with different kinds of disabilities - hearing and speech impaired, visually challenged, orthopedic and locomotor disablilties of various levels,” informed Rangaram. Those who are wheelchair-bound were also included.
It began from entering a station, purchasing a ticket to boarding and travelling in the train. “We also shared observations from Delhi Metro Rail and this is better than that,” vouched Rangaram. However, they will be conducting another review once the Metro starts functioning.Through a press release issued on Thursday, officials at the HMRL informed that ramps to facilitate wheelchairs along with spacious lifts have been designed. Besides this, arrangements have been made to ensure that there is no danger to their lives while boarding the train. Lift operating buttons will have information in Braille for the blind and also a tactile strip for easier navigation.
There are also special wheelchair spaces which will allow wheelchairs to be locked to a special ‘grab hold’ in the train. Inclusive toilets are also being constructed. Wide automatic fare collection gates are present for wheelchair passengers while special ticket vending machines for persons with speech impairment are being designed. Announcements of train arrival and departure will be made in three languages along with relevant signage and pictograms.
GO issued for procurement of aids for PWDs in Telangana
Telangana Department of Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens issued an order to invite tenders to supply aids and for beneficiaries. According to GO RT no 190, the Department through Telangana Vikalangula Co-Operative Corporation has called for procurement of aids for PWDs. The list includes retrofitted motorised vehicles, tricycles, callipers and artificial limbs, battery-operated wheelchairs, laptops with JAWS software, walking sticks, Braille books, hearing aids and 4G smartphones for hearing impaired and ` 782.41 lakh has been sanctioned from the scheme of Rehabilitation & Supply of Prosthetic Aids to PH Persons and subsidies, allocated to Telangana Vikalangula Cooperative Corporation for 2017-18. The beneficiaries of these sanctioned aids will be scrutinised by a screening