ANANTAPUR

The short and long term facilities being undertaken by the Railways for Divyangjan are as follows -

Short term facilities

v Standard ramp with railing for barrier free entry

v Earmarking at least two parking lots for vehicles used by Divyangjan

v Non-slippery walk-way from parking lot to station building

v Signage’s of appropriate visibility

v At least o­ne drinking water tap suitable for use by Divyangjan

v At least o­ne toilet o­n the ground floor

v May I help you booth

Long term facilities

v Engraving of edges of platform

v Trolley path for Divyangjan (for inter platform navigation)

Taking the cue, South Central Railway has undertaken various measures to better the accessibility at railway stations o­n its network to persons with disability - Divyangjan. Shri Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, SCR has focused his attention o­n the matter and has envisaged that a concrete plan of action be implemented by all the Six Divisions o­n the Zone i.e., Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Guntakal and Nanded towards upgrading the passenger amenities and facilities for Divyangjan o­n the system, and maintaining the same.

Railway Stations which are the focal points of rail passenger interface are critical areas which require enhanced facilities for the Divyangjan. The stations are broadly divided into Non-Suburban Grade (NSG) and Suburban Grade (SG) basing o­n the criteria of earnings and outward bound passenger traffic.

Out of 754 Railway Stations o­n South Central Railway, 30 stations fall under NSG 1 to 3 category (which are the top three Non Suburban categories as per revenue and traffic). All the short term as well as long term Divyangjan facilities has been provided at these stations. Secunderabad station comes under NSG1, while Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Kacheguda, Nanded and Tirupati come under NSG2 category. Stations like Lingampalli,

Rajahmundry, Guntur, Guntakal, Kadapa, Anantapur etc. are categorized under NSG3. 33 stations come under NSG 4 category, out of which 31 stations have already been provided with all short term and long term facilities while works o­n the same are nearing completion o­n the remaining 02 stations. Major Stations like Anakapalle, Manchiryal, Dharmavaram, Ramagundam etc fall into the NSG4 Category. The remaining 499 railway stations o­n SCR are classified under NSG5 & NSG6 category. Many of the facilities like Standard ramp, Toilets, Drinking water taps, Walkway have been provided at these NSG5, NSG6 category stations o­n the entire Zone. Other Divyangjan facilities are in the offing at these stations in a phased manner.

SCR has 21 Suburban Group (SG) category stations, all of which are in the limits of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, being catered by the MMTS services. Basing o­n the revenue and footfalls, these 21 stations are classified in SG3 category, all Short term facilities have been provided in majority of these stations, while works are in progress in remaining stations. In case of Halt category stations, most of the short term facilities like Standard Ramp, Toilets, Drinking water taps, non slippery walkway have been provided as per the requirement in such stations.

Wheel Chair Facility to help needy sections of rail users

SCR has prioritized the need for equipping all important railway stations with Wheel chair facilities so as to facilitate convenience for various needy sections of rail users with limited mobility, to make use of the wheel chairs to commute within the railway station premises. Prominently displayed pictorial signage boards highlighting the availability of Wheel Chairs at the stations along with contact number are provided at all major stations, near the Entrance and at the Enquiry offices.

The Wheel Chair facility comes free of cost for needy passengers, in case of self handling i.e. by any of the accompanying persons. Assistance of railway licensed porters can be utilized if required o­n payment of prescribed porterage charges. In addition, Battery Operated Carts are also being used at some of the major railway stations, wherever feasible.

Elevators / Lifts for smooth movement at Railway Stations

In order to facilitate easy movement of differently abled passengers besides other needy sections of passengers at major railway stations, high capacity elevators / lifts are being provided at various major railway stations. The facility is pre requisite for mobility of rail users between the entrance/exit and various platforms at the railway stations. Requirements of the stations are analyzed accordingly provision of elevators / lifts is undertaken, basing o­n relative priority, availability of resources and feasibility for provision of the facility. As o­n date, 61 Lifts are available at 27 Railway Stations o­n SCR, while work is under progress for provision of 14 Lifts at 07 more railway stations.