NEW DELHI: Believe it or not, in any particular train, just two sleeper-class tickets can be booked online by the differently abled -this means, if you aren't prompt enough, you'll need to queue up at the counter. This, however, is just the beginning of the ordeal, as Suvarna Raj, a para-athlete who has represented India at multiple international events, discovered on Saturday.

For Raj, who is also a disabled rights activist, the journey from Nagpur to Delhi was nothing short of a nightmare. Allotted an upper berth despite being 90% disabled, she sought help from railway authorities: after officials allegedly turned down her request citing non-availability of berths, she chose to lie down on the floor. Raj told TOI that she was offered a lower berth in another coach several hours into the journey . "I had to use a blanket on the floor as a makeshift bed. I asked for a spare blanket -even that was provided after a long wait and reeked of vomit. An alternative seat offered to me wasn't wheelchair-accessible, meaning I could not move there alone," she said. Raj rued how the differently abled continued to have a harrowing time during train journeys despite much talk about inclusiveness. She alleged that often general category people occupied seats in a coach reserved for the disabled. "The authorities don't take any action in such cases," she claimed.

Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Railway officials said a berth was booked on a first come-first serve basis, but a request for change could be made under the "emergency quota". Disabled right activists, however, felt the whole process -right from booking tickets to the journey itself was fraught with difficulties.Only two tickets in sleeper class are reserved for the differently abled in a train, after which they will have to physically get a ticket from the counter to avail of a concession of 75% -but these seats will be under the general category and may not be disabled-friendly .

A few years ago, railways introduced a coach for the differently abled -at the start or end of the train -with four seats. Activists TOI spoke to said this concept also needed to be changed. "These coaches are at the end or start of the train. Only disabled passengers are allowed, meaning one cannot travel with hisher family as they will sit in a different coach," said Suvarna Raj's husband, Pradeep, a para-athlete and disabled rights activist himself.

Javed Abidi, activist and director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People, said major improvements needed to be made in the online system, followed up by other sweeping changes. "Few railway stations have elevators or ramps. Also, width of train doors doesn't allow wheelchairs to go inside," Abidi said.

The travails don't end with entering the train. "Washrooms in trains are not accessible either. Each train must have some coaches that are disabled-friendly and have enough width, both at the entrance and in aisle, for anyone using crutches or wheelchairs." 

With awareness low, several campaigns have been initiated to make trains more disabled-friendly. One such campaign My Train Too - was launched online by Virali Modi, a wheelchair-bound activist who was allegedly groped by porters while lifting her wheelchair. The campaign has resulted in some welcome change - in 4 stations in Kerala, portable ramps and smaller wheelchairs have been brought in and a training programme for porters started. "There is no point in making stations disabled-friendly if trains are not accessible to us," said Modi.

Source: Times of India June 12, 2017 edition