With the entrance blocked at Platform 1 at Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road Metro Station, passengers are forced to take a detour through Platform 2 and a flight of stairs that leaves the disabled at a loss.
Platform 1 in Rashtreeya Vidyalaya (RV) Road Metro Station can only be accessed through stairs from Platform 2. This arrangement is troublesome not just for the disabled, but also for people without special needs.
Sharad Gaikwad carried five bags—one in front, one on his back and three in hand. He said, “People with luggage or children will have a difficult time to get to their destination. It is a problem indeed. Furthermore, it is confusing to figure out the way.”
The confusion starts at the temporary banner for Platform 1 underneath the permanent display of Platform 2. Often, people have trouble figuring out the way. They go up to Platform 2, do not see another clear sign pointing to a flight of stairs and return, thinking they had gone the wrong way. Without any permanent official at the entrance to guide them, they have to wait for a fellow traveler who might be in the know to help them out.
Platform 2 is connected to the floor below with stairs, an elevator and an escalator. But, passengers traveling from RV Road Metro Station towards Nagasandra have no choice but to use the stairs. This is also applicable for those traveling towards Nagasandra and getting down at RV Road Metro Station.
Entryway to the stairs
One flight of stairs leads to a landing where you need to climb another flight of stairs to reach the other platform. This raises a concern about disability access. Each flight has 37 steps with two landings.
Ranganatha Nanjangud, Training Coordinator at Action on Disability and Development India considers it to be unfair and discriminatory against people with disabilities. He said, “If there is no alternative facility to the stairs, it is not considered as part of development and inclusion of all. The popular saying in development with respect to disability was ‘Nothing about us, without us’. It is the duty of the authorities concerned to make disabled-friendly arrangements.”
The construction of the new Yellow Line is taking place. According to reports, work started in 2019 and it was expected to be completed within a year, with an inauguration scheduled for 2021.
B L Yashwanth Chavan, Chief Public Relations Officer at Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) said, “The press release regarding the metro construction did consider the inconvenience that passengers will experience. People were requested to use the adjacent stations of Jayanagar and JP Nagar for facilities.” He said that large-scale projects might not meet timelines as they need to be built to perfection.
A platform guard at the station said, “We get one or two complaints every day but there is nothing we can do about it.”
Metro should be accessible to all! Great topic to bring up! Good work.