CHENNAI: The `393.74 crore Kilambakkam bus terminus catering to south-bound buses may have quality ambience but an access audit on Friday revealed its design is flawed when it comes to accessibility for persons with disabilities as per the Harmonised Guidelines standard required by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016.
The audit was conducted by representatives from organisations for disabled persons, an empanelled agency, officials of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), which built the terminus, and the assistant director of the Directorate for Welfare of the Differently Abled.
The audit team flagged several errors in the design. These included gaps in continuity and reach of the tactile path for visually impaired passengers, long, unsheltered ramps without landings and toilets which do not allow bilateral transfer for wheelchair users.
“A ramp should have an incline not steeper than a 1:12 gradient. When the ramp is longer than nine metres, it should have a landing point as it would be easier for the wheelchair to move. But the audit found at some places, the ramp is 25 metres long but has only one landing point,” said Gnana Bharathi, president of Spinal Injured Persons Association (SIPA), who was part of the team.
Similarly, the tactile path grants passengers with visual impairments access only to the terminus and stops short at the entrance to the bus fingers. These passengers do not get access to shopping areas or food joints either.
Sudha Ramamoorthy, a member of the Disability Rights Alliance, bemoaned the usage of polished granite flooring, which proved too slippery for crutch users on the team. The team said ticketing counters could be made dual-height so they are accessible to all, as recommended for Chennai Metro retrofits.
Disability rights activist Vaishnavi Jayakumar was upset no arrangements had been made for level boarding of passengers with locomotor disabilities at the bus bays, contrary to the Madras High Court order in June 2023 which held that “bus stops should be scientifically designed to suit the requirements of the differently-abled and henceforth, any development or reconstruction or repairing or improvement in any of the bus stops should include and focus in making it differently-abled friendly...”
Bharathi said the government will now have to spend more to rectify the design. “This could have been avoided had a preliminary audit been done prior to construction.” CMDA member secretary Anshul Mishra said nine recommendations were put forth by the audit team. “These are welcome suggestions. Most of these are doable and we will ensure Kilambakkam bus terminus is one of the most disabled-friendly bus terminuses in India,” he said.