Mysuru Road Metro Station a challenge for disabled

BENGALURU:  Many physically challenged commuters travelling from Mysuru Road Metro Station are facing problems entering and exiting the station from the Ring Road side.On the Ring Road side, they have to climb about 50 steps and then traverse the sky walk to reach the concourse level of the station. From here, there is an escalator to go up to the next level and swipe their entry. However, while exiting, there is no lift or escalator.

Complaints from affected differently-abled people and senior citizens have fallen on deaf ears. Rajesh, a regular commuter, said the planning here is shoddy as far as facilities for differently-abled people are concerned. “Every day, I see at least 5-10 citizens - some old, some differently-abled and some walking with canes, struggling to climb the elevated station. How do you expect an old person to climb so many steps and then take the sky walk?”

Mysuru Road Metro Station sees maximum commuters with 3-4 physically challenged people entering or exiting at any given point in time. A metro staff said, “Namma Metro has security personnel at each entry point so that people can get wheelchairs on request. Security personnel also help them board trains. However, there are issues that need to be addressed. Exit and entry from the Ring Road side has to be made disabled friendly.”

This reporter was witness to a 65-year-old differently-abled woman asking a Metro staff on how to exit the station from the concourse level to the Ring Road side. The security staff told the woman it was not possible to exit the station towards the Ring Road as there were no lifts. She was forced to take the 50 steps, and at the end she collapsed.

Adding to the problem, if one takes the lift from the concourse level to the ground level, a differently-abled person has to get down a few steps to exit from Mysuru Road. But here is a Herculean problem. The road median below the Metro line is at a height and is wide - making it impossible for physically challenged to cross the road. 

Metro’s take

BL Yashvanth Chavan, BMRCL Chief PRO, said, “For the differently-abled, lift on the station side is available from the road level to the concourse level. The road leads inside the station.”