The Madras High Court was assured that all metro stations in the city would be equipped with ramps to facilitate movement of the disabled within six months. When a PIL on the issue was heard again today, counsel for the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) told the first bench of Chief Justice MN Bhandari and Justice N Mala that the handicapped-friendly structure should be included in both ongoing and new projects. Will be given. He said that it would be retrofitted in the existing stations within six months.
Recording the submissions, the bench adjourned the matter for six weeks. City resident Vaishnavi Jayakumar, claiming herself as a cross-disability rights advocate (living with psychosocial disability), has been instrumental in fighting to overcome the physical and behavioral barriers that Indians with disabilities face time and again. worked for more than a decade, had filed a public interest litigation in 2020.
The petition prayed to the CMRL to direct its existing metro stations to comply with the harmonized guidelines and space standards for barrier-free built environment for persons with disabilities and elderly persons issued by the Ministry of Urban Development in 2016. Compliance with Section 41 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 as well as Rule 15 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017 in the design and construction of metro stations under construction including future planned stations.
It argued that CMRL has violated the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 by failing to build its stations in Chennai in compliance with the law. Its stations were audited in 2017 and found non-compliance with rules and regulations, and to date, no steps have been taken to bring the stations and other infrastructure into compliance with the law.
The stations posed a hindrance to persons with disabilities and were required to comply without delay. The TN State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities failed to take action despite being aware of the violations committed by the CMRL.
It did not retrofit its existing stations in compliance with the law. The State Commissioners failed to observe that unless the Metro stations are made in accordance with the law, persons with disabilities and low mobility will not be able to travel with dignity and freedom.
With inputs from PTI