CHENNAI, Tamil Nadu: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), on June 15, Wednesday, in an undertaking before Madras High Court, stated to make all its metro stations disabled-friendly within the next six weeks.
The first bench consisting of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, and Justice N Mala, was hearing the petition seeking an authoritative from the court ordering CMRL to implement the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. The petition pointed out that CMRL has failed to give effect to the provisions seeking to make all the transport systems accessible for disabled people under the concerned act.
The CMRL submitted an undertaking before the court stating that it will take all the necessary steps to make its stations accessible to the disabled within the next six weeks.
Vaishnavi Jayakumar, Co-founder of Banyan, in her petition mentioned that 32 metro stations on which the construction has been completed lack the necessary facilities such as ramps, lifts, and handrails etcetera, to make stations accessible to the disabled, as revealed in the audit report 2022.
Similarly, CMRL is also in violation of section 42 of the Rights of Person with Disabilities Act 2016, and rule 15 of the Rights of Person with Disabilities Rules, 2017. As per the petitioner, CMRL is legally accountable to comply with the guidelines of the Ministry of Urban Development, issued in 2016.