India is the second most populous country in the world and home to over 21 million people with various disabilities. These people come from poor to marginalised socio-economic backgrounds and are highly dependent on public transport, including railway stations, for their commute. As a part of their “Seeing is Believing” initiative, Standard Chartered Bank has partnered with Anuprayaas and Samarthanam Trust to make 30 railway stations across India accessible to people with disabilities by providing a host of facilities. This project aims to aid people with visual disabilities, people using wheelchairs, and people with hearing disabilities to travel independently and with dignity by reducing their dependency on others while travelling.
The upgrade will include:
• Guiding Braille indicators at platforms and railings to identify platform numbers and facilities.
• Braille General Signs for facilities like a male-female toilet.
• Reflective strips at stairs for people with low vision
• Braille Maps of the station
• Braille information booklets at the Enquiry counters
• QR code to watch the video about the station in sign language
• Portable ramp & wheelchair to board the divyang coach.
Thane station will be the first to be ready, all facilities will be made available at these 30 railway stations by April 1, 2022. Some of the major railway stations to be covered under this project are Egmore Chennai, Bandra, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Mathura, Agra, Secunderabad and Jaipur.