Train Travel Concession for Disabled Persons.

   Train Travel Concession for Disabled Persons

   Indian Railways grant concession to four categories of disabled persons in extreme cases i.e. (i) Orthopedically Handicapped/Paraplegic persons who cannot travel without escort (ii) Mentally Retarded persons who cannot travel without escort (iii) Completely Blind persons travelling alone or with escort and (iv) Totally Deaf and Dumb persons (both afflictions together in the same person) travelling alone or with escort. One escort is also granted same concession. Concessions are granted at stations on surrendering the copy of prescribed disability certificate.

   No age limit has been prescribed for eligibility of concession in the case of disabled persons. Indian Railways grant concessions to disabled persons on production of prescribed disability certificate irrespective of age.

    This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

FACILITIES EXTENDED TO HANDICAPPED PERSONS IN RESPECT OF RESERVATION IN TRAINS.

FACILITIES EXTENDED TO HANDICAPPED PERSONS IN RESPECT OF RESERVATION IN TRAINS.

   (i) A reservation quota of two sleeper class berths has been earmarked in all trains running on non- suburban sections for handicapped persons performing their journey on handicapped concessional ticket. The person accompanying the handicapped person as escort is also allotted the berth out of this quota.

   (ii) Instructions have also been issued that in the tickets issued through Computerized Passenger Reservation System, to extent  feasible, one lower berth should be allotted to the handicapped person and the  person accompanying the handicapped person as escort should be allotted middle/upper berths near the handicapped person subject to availability of accommodation.

   (iii)After departure of the train, if there are vacant lower berths available in the train, and if any physically handicapped person booked on the authority of handicapped concessional ticket, who has been allotted upper/middle berth, approaches for allotment of vacant lower berths, the Conductor/Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) has been authorized to allot the vacant lower berth to them making necessary entries in the chart.

   (iv) Specially designed coaches known as SLRD coaches with wider entrance doors to allow a wheel chair to  enter, wider aisles and modified toilet with 4 berths, the lower two for physically challenged persons and upper berths for attendants have been attached in almost all Mail/Express  trains except Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi Express Trains and Duronto Express Trains.