Last Friday night (July 26,2019; 20:15hrs) I started my journey via train to Mumbai from my Home town Ahmedabad to attend a 2 days Weekend workshop cum conference. I reached to Ahmedabad Railway Station (also called Kalupur Railway Station) with my co-participant Mayur Patel and Escort too, via cab. Another co-participant Rajesh Padia also reached and arranged a wheelchair for me from railway station. With the help of wheelchair and my these two friends I managed to reach on platform number five where our train was supposed to arrive. After dropping me and luggage, they went back to platform number one return the wheelchair. Here what I wanted to brought in your notice is that without much difficulty I reached on the platform, but my friends had to went back to return the wheelchair which was again a time-consuming and laborious task for them. There should be some provision or system to keep the wheelchair on the same platform where the disabled was dropped.
Now next day morning we arrived at Dadar station, platform number five. Here wheelchair was not available. To get the one, person has to go to platform number one and come back. So I avoid the wheelchair and walked long distance that too in rain and sleepery floor.
While returning to Ahmedabad from Dadar station, I experienced a great difficulty in getting a wheelchair. The only reason the officer said is that you’re at central part and cannot give it to go western railway. After a long debate we managed it.
Cutting long story to short, the system of wheel chair is really appreciable but not at the cost of escort’s valuable time and labour. Wheelchair MUST be made available on every platform of the railway station.
