Transport strike hits hard people with disabilities

Highlighting the problems faced by persons with disability during the MTC strike, S Namburajan, State General Secretary, Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled & Caregivers (TARATDAC) said, “The number of buses plying has been drastically reduced, especially in the rural areas, which are creating problems for persons with disability. 

Due to the reduced frequency and huge crowds, persons with disability are unable to get into the vehicles. In addition, the temporary conductors are not aware that persons with disability have fare concessions, due to which they are forced to pay the full fare,” he said. In rural areas, persons with disability who are employed have access to an annual free pass. 

“But since many of the temporary staff are unaware of this, the persons with disability have to face extra hardship.  We have received countless complaints and we hope that the strike is resolved soon,” pointed out the activist. Smitha Sadasivan, a member of the Disability Rights Alliance (DRA), said that to begin with, most of our public transport options are inaccessible. 

“Due to poor accessibility, we end up taking autorickshaws. Now, with the transport strike, the autorickshaw drivers hike up their rates, making us feel helpless. For instance, one of our colleagues with hearing impairment took almost six hours to reach Tambaram from Kotturpuram two days ago, due to the sheer lack of buses and inaccessible autorickshaws or cabs. 

In addition, many parents bring their children with disability by buses and the delay or crowds can be a trigger for seizures in some cases. The strike has made mobility even more difficult for persons and children with disabilities, their families and also senior citizens,” she added.