HYDERABAD: Inaugurating the first Telangana state conference of National Platform for Rights of Disabled (NPRD) here on Saturday, Hyderabad Metro Rail managing director NVS Reddy said that Hyderabad Metro Rail was conscious of the special needs of differently-abled people and would create state-of-the-art facilities for the physically challenged people. Flagging off the Disabled Walk at Jubilee Bus Station, he urged people to have empathy for the disabled and help them to live their lives with dignity and self-respect.
Reddy said that Hyderabad Metro Rail would have special facilities for all categories of physically challenged people at Metro stations, platforms, concourse.
He further explained that the Hyderabad Metro Rail was being designed and executed as a disabled- friendly system. Special care was being taken to build Metro stations and trains to cater to the needs of people with mobility impairment (wheelchair passengers), visual impairment (blind people) and hearing and speech impairment. Ramps are provided at the road level of Metro stations to facilitate wheelchair movement up to the lifts, he said.
Bigger lifts were being provided to easily accommodate and manoeuvre wheelchairs and the heights of operating buttons in lifts, fare gates, ticket vending machines were designed in such a way to enable access for the physically challenged.
Lift operating buttons would have information in Braille to help blind persons. Tactile strip would be provided throughout the stations from street level right up to the edge of the platform so that blind persons can get into the train on their own by tapping the floor with walking stick, Reddy said.