15 July 2015

Team CMRL
Poonamallee High Road,
Koyambedu,
Chennai 600107
Dear Mr. Bansal,
Team DRA shared the same joy at Chennai Metros service inauguration along with Chennais citizenry,
compounded with the excitement and hope that here, finally would be one part of Chennais public service
space that was guaranteed accessible.1 Especially since Disability Rights Alliance had extensively inputted
pro-bono into accessibility features of Chennai Metro by engaging with CMRL for over 40 months till date.
(Meeting records, correspondence and document submissions are compiled in
Accessibility inputs for
CMRL
.2 A physical copy can be provided if needed.)
Imagine our dismay when our July 3rd 2015 maiden accessibility walk-through showed little or no signs of
3
accessibility planning right from the design to completion! The accessibility checklist was abandoned
halfway as the sheer volume of errors that needed fixing overwhelmed the group.
As things stand, (without taking into account the number of stations and CMRL systems to be completed in
the near future), there is practically a denial of service - almost to the point of total exclusion - of at least
10% of Chennais population. Select feedback from disabled access auditors is available in
APPENDIX 1.
We find ourselves today in the very position that we wanted to avoid at all cost : of demanding retrofits
requiring disruption and significant expenses to address issues that were supposed to be ensured in the
planning process itself.
KEY CONCERNS : The following concerns needing immediate or timebound redressal are elaborated in
APPENDIX 2
:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Independent travel rendered impossible by non-compliant design

Safety from hazards and potential injury
Inefficient, incomplete information channels
Rail coach ergonomic flaws

Srinivasan, M (2012, May 6), Chennai Metro will be barrier-free: CMRL.

The Hindu
. Retrieved from
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chennai-metro-will-be-barrierfree-cmrl/article3388348.ece
2
See : Accessibility inputs for CMRL

DRA
Retrieved from
http://bit.ly/Dra2Cmrl
3
On our way : transit system accessibility checklist which we had requested information on prior to our
postponed 24th June 2015 meeting
https://www.scribd.com/doc/270469282/on-our-way-accessibility-checklist-en

Secretariat : c/o DLU, Vidya Sagar, 1, Ranjit Road, Kotturpuram, Chennai - 600 085 Phone:
22354784 E: disabilityrightsalliance.in@gmail.com

REQUIREMENTS & SUGGESTIONS :

1. Accessibility consultant : An expert to be appointed on a paid basis and provided with plans,
drawings, maps, manuals and specs of stations, coaches, equipment and services so as to urgently
a. provide practical, economical retrofits for errors in completed work,
b. plan design inputs to ensure accessibility standards of work near completion
c. draw up an SOP to ensure sustained inclusion and future accessibility and, sustained
inclusion and short term retro-fixes.
2. Design and procurement standards updation : Detailed accessibility standards and specifications to
be incorporated in design, procurement and testing processes, existing tenders to be updated to
reflect the same
3. Testing : On site pendulum testing to measure real-world floor slipperiness to be conducted, with
findings data to be shared in the public domain.
4. Compliance Inspection by Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety :
With specific respect to the safety,
usability and accessibility standards detailed in DRAs submissions till date, a comprehensive
accessibility audit of station, rail car, equipment, processes etc to be conducted and published with
guidelines to ensure a universally designed accessible travel experience uniformly and consistently
across India.
5. Education, Training and Orientation : Incorporation of diversity training and universal design of
customer experience in the core syllabus of customised educational courses on Metro Rail
Transport Technology and Management4 as well as induction and lifelong learning programmes for
staff.
We hope to hear from CMRL, a response or an invitation for redressal hearing from DRA in this regard.
Failure to receive a reply, after all these sincere efforts of engaging with CMRL for an accessible transport
mechanism would lead us to believe that CMRL is not so concerned about providing a public utility service
which truly meets the needs of the user public, including the disabled.
nd
DRA would like to place on record here the courtesy and helpfulness of the CMRL staff on the 3
July
access walk-through; their pleasantness - even in the face of frustration of the increasingly irate group is
to be commended.

Sincerely,

TEAM DISABILITY RIGHTS ALLIANCE

Project Contact :
Smitha S

Course paused at IIT-Madras but still continuing in IIT Delhi. Programme Code : CEX Postgraduate Diploma in
Metro Rail Transport : Technology and Management Department of Civil Engineering. IIT Delhi retrieved from
http://civil.iitd.ac.in/File.pdf/10.PGDiploma.pdf
4

Secretariat : c/o DLU, Vidya Sagar, 1, Ranjit Road, Kotturpuram, Chennai - 600 085 Phone:
22354784 E: disabilityrightsalliance.in@gmail.com