March 13, 2019
Our Story of the Week on NewzHook is on the struggles faced by
disabled passengers while using the services of the Indian Railways. The lack
of accessible infrastructure apart, the refusal to accept UDID cards when it
comes to travel concessions is yet another problem. Today the Delhi High
Court will hear a petition challenging this move of the Railways’.
The purpose of the Unique Disability Identity Card (UDID) is
to enable every disabled person in India to have easy, hassle free access to
various government schemes and benefits.
Its the outcome of a long, hard fought battle between activists and
authorities, a reality that in the words of National Platform for the
Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) comes after “persistent efforts and
years of advocacy”.
Now this national-level cross disability rights group is fighting another
battle over UDID, this time with the Indian Railways which
is issuing separate ID cards to disabled people for availing concessions.
This, NPRD says, defeats the very purpose of the UDID, which is to serve as a
universal ID across India and all government departments for
people with disabilities so they can avoid the hassle and harassment of
getting separate certificates or cards for availing every government scheme.
The NPRD has filed a petition before the Delhi High Court
challenging this move saying that it violates Article 14 as well
as other fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution and restricts
and creates a barrier in the enjoyment of amities of life by the disabled.
The move to file the petition came after repeated appeals to Railways
Ministry. They did not respond to any of our letters and they have given
absolutely no thought in making such a move. – Muralidharan
Vishwanath, General Secretary, National Platform for the Rights of the
Disabled
In the absence of a universal ID card, the struggles faced by the disabled
community were many as various government agencies and departments have their
own formats and certificates to avail of schemes. This is how the idea of the
UDID was born – one card for all Indian citizens, pan-India and valid across
all government departments and different purposes.
By issuing a separate card, the Railways is also violating provisions of the
RPWD Act 2016 and working at cross purposes with the Department of
Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment, which issued the UDID.
The petition has found widespread support in the disabled community and
underlines the larger apathy shown by the Railways.
Take the uproar on social media just a few days ago after a letter by
Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal sanctioning yet another
escalator at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station in New Delhi went viral.
In his letter, Goyal stated that the provision of escalators at all stations
was a “priority as it is essential for our esteemed customers, especially
elderly, divyanjan and pregnant women”, and goes on to add, “In the
last five years, we have tripled the total number of escalators from 199 in
2014 to 603 until now”.
Statements that display the utter lack of awareness when it comes to
accessible infrastructure, say activists.
“Since 2010, before each Budget session, we have approached various railway
ministers to raise pending issues including the need to look at universal
design methods, says Vishwanath. “We have been saying elevators are the
solution, not escalators, both for elderly and disabled people. Besides, many
of the escalators don’ function and are not disabled-friendly. Yet, nothing
has changed”.
Disability rights crusader Dr Satendra Singh has also drawn
attention to the poor infrastructure in Delhi railway stations on social
media and through RTIs.
“None of the six railway stations in the national Capital are
disabled-friendly, which is a shame. There is no lift connecting platforms
for the elderly and disabled, and they are forced to use steps to get down.
You see so many elderly people who are feeble and ailing on the trains and it
is a huge struggle for them. This is not just about people with
disabilities”, says Dr Singh.
Such instances, he adds, highlight how lack of coordination and synergy
between various government departments is undermining important goalposts of
the Accessible India Campaign (AIC). “We are seeing this
happen with so many issues, including medical admissions. The fact is that
the targets set under AIC cannot be met with in isolation, government
ministries and departments have to work together and we are not seeing that
happen”.
Sentiments shared by Rajiv Raturi, who way back in 2005,
filed a PIL in the Supreme Court seeking proper and adequate
access to public places for people with disabilities across India. Based on
his petition, the apex court in 2017 issued 11 directions, which included
making public institutions, transport and educational institutions
disabled-friendly.
“Even today after the court directions on accessibility regarding websites,
public transport and trains, nothing has happened”, says Raturi. “A few
months ago the matter came up in court and the judges were annoyed to find
that none of the states had responded with the steps they had taken regarding
retrofitting of buildings and accessibility of buses. There is no
coordination between government departments coupled with the fact that
getting states on board is difficult. The court directions are clear but not
translating into action for this reason”.
The NPRD plans to wait for the new government to take charge before raising
these issues with the Railways Ministry again. “In the immediate future, we
don’t expect a change. We need a receptive minister who will understand the
issues we are talking about so we will wait for the new government to take
charge”, says Vishwanath.
ALSO READ:Delhi
High Court highlights lack of accessibility for blind passengers on Indian
railways
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21649
