Kalyan: Disabled people travelling for jobs and other work in the Central Railway have expressed resentment over the absence of emergency steps in the coaches reserved for the disabled in many local coaches. In the recent past, there has been an increase in the number of local train derailments due to signal failure, overhead wire breakage and other technical reasons. These locals leave the railway station and live in areas where there are no platforms. During this period, other ordinary passengers start their journey on foot by jumping from the local train. However, since the disabled compartment does not have an emergency step, the disabled passengers travelling in this compartment have to remain stuck in the compartment.
In the last few days, there has been an increase in the number of cases of malfunctioning of the local signal system, breaking of the overhead wire, the engine of the express and the breakdown of the local train in the Badlapur-Kalyan to Thane railway station area of Central Railway. Locals stay stuck in one place for two hours like this. During this period, ordinary passengers jump from the local train and go to the nearest railway station or the road along the railway line and go to the desired place by rickshaw. However, in the absence of emergency steps in the compartment reserved for the disabled, the disabled who have gone for jobs, business or other work in the Mumbai area cannot get off the train. Some people have disabilities. Some are able to walk to the car. Passengers with disabilities are suffering due to the closure of local trains. These disabled passengers struggle to get down from the local coach. But due to the absence of an emergency step near the door of the local compartment for disembarkation, the disabled were inconvenienced.
The disabled passengers are stuck in the coach until the local space is no longer available. Some disabled people do not have drinking water or anything to eat if they are hungry. They suffer the most during this period. Some disabled people said that after the closure of the local, such disabled passengers can be helped to travel by vehicle by taking some ordinary passengers to the railway platform or to the road along the railway line. The disabled passengers travelling in the disabled coaches have demanded that the Central Railway administration should take the initiative to add stairs to the disabled coaches which do not have emergency stairs. Some disabled students and women travel in these coaches. They suffer the most when the locals are shut down. Disabled coaches have emergency steps. But if there are no coaches, arrangements will be made to accommodate them, "a railway official said.
Some Central Railway locals do not have emergency steps for the coaches reserved for the disabled. When the local train stops due to some technical reason, other ordinary passengers jump out of the train. But the passengers in the disabled compartment get stuck in the local compartment as there is no emergency step in the reserved compartment. - Kalpesh Kolambe, disabled passenger.