Visually impaired need human assistance, not wheelchair: HC to Rlys

The Delhi High Court today wondered how a wheelchair provided by the railway authorities would help a visually-impaired person who requires human assistance in catching a train at a railway station.

The court said a visually or speech impaired person does not require a wheel chair as they walk themselves and need human assistance.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar made the observation while going through a status report filed by the railways that they were providing wheelchairs to differently-abled persons at the station.

The court hearing a PIL initiated on its own after coming across a report that the door of a special compartment for the disabled was shut and such a youth missed his MPhil test at the Delhi University in July last year.

Terming the report as an eye opener, the bench had remarked that even the Delhi University (DU) did not pay attention to the ordeal of the student, Vaibhav Shukla, and telling him that they cannot help him.

During the day, the court was informed by senior advocate R S Rungta, who is assisting in the matter, that disabled persons were asked by the Railways to pay charges for availing wheelchair facilities and they were also not being providing human assistance.

"Why is no free assistance given to the person who needs a wheelchair? What is the purpose of having a wheelchair? If someone is travelling alone, how will they use wheelchair unless you provide them a motorised wheelchair."