PIL challenges Perambur station revamp over accessibility gaps

CHENNAI: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking directions to the Union government and Southern Railway to provide barrier-free infrastructure at Perambur railway station, contending that the station remains inaccessible to persons with disabilities (PwD) despite ongoing redevelopment works under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

The petition, filed by D Gnana Bharathi, a wheelchair user and founder of the Spinal Injured Persons Association (SIPA), argues that Perambur station continues to fall short of accessibility requirements mandated under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.

According to the petitioner, key accessibility features remain absent or inadequate at the station, including accessible access to all platforms, ramped foot overbridges or elevators, tactile guidance pathways, barrier-free circulation routes and wheelchair-accessible toilets. The plea further alleges that the existing ramp at the station exit is excessively steep and unsafe for independent wheelchair users and that inaccessible foot overbridges prevent access to platforms without assistance.

Bharathi has also raised concerns over the design and execution of the redevelopment works, arguing that accessibility requirements have not been meaningfully integrated into the project. His plea contends that redevelopment has largely focused on surface-level improvements while failing to address structural barriers faced by PwD.

He points out that under the RPwD Act and the Rules notified in 2017, existing public infrastructure was required to be made accessible within 5 years, while accessibility-compliant services were to be provided within 2 years. The petition argues that these deadlines effectively lapsed in 2022 and 2019 respectively, yet Perambur station remains far from universally accessible.

Seeking interim relief, Bharathi has requested the court to direct the authorities to commission an independent accessibility audit of Perambur station in the context of the ongoing redevelopment works and place the findings before the court. In the writ petition, he has sought directions to retrofit and modify the station with barrier-free infrastructure in compliance with national accessibility standards.

The matter is pending before a Division Bench comprising the Chief Justice and Justice G Arul Murugan.