Inspection of the construction site of Naktala Metro Station

Place: Construction site of Naktala Metro Station

Date of inspection: 12.07.2008

Delegation team:

● Shampa Sengupta, Director, Sruti disAbility Rights Centre

● Saptak Mohanta, Volunteer, Sruti disAbility Rights Centre

Observations:

● The main entrance is supposed to have ramp along with stairs fulfilling standards.

● The ramp is yet to be built. We strongly recommend that the ramp must be non-slippery & a

maximum slope of 1:12, otherwise it’ll be too steep for wheelchair users.

● The ticket counter is at about a height of 1000mm, which is much more than the maximum

limit of 800mm. This means the ticket counter is NOT accessible for wheelchair users. We

recommend that at least one counter is lowered to an accessible height of less than 800mm.

● There has to be some method so that a wheelchair user can pass through the ticket checking

machine, or there should be some alternative entry & exit for wheelchair users.

● There is tactile flooring, well-planned, for visually challenged people.

● The lift door is supposed to have a width of 800mm. But it is insufficient as the ideal width is

at least 900mm. We strongly recommend that the lift to be changed so that it has a minimum

door width of 900mm.

● The lift is supposed to have a surface area of 1800mm x 1200mm. But the ideal surface area

is at least 1500mm x 1500mm. In the present scenario, a wheelchair cannot be rotated inside

the lift, only entered & exited with the rider facing the same wall all the time. That is going to

be pretty inconvenient.

● The lift must have handrails on three sides at a height between 850-900mm.

● There should be Braille-signs or raised numerals indicating floor numbers.

● Through out the station, there should be proper signage & Braille-signs indicating the

directions.

● The stairs do fulfil minimum requirements.

● There are landings at sufficient heights.

● The handrails are not yet finalised. We strongly recommend that the handrails are placed at

height between 850-900mm on both sides of every stairs & ramps.

● The height of the drinking water tap should be at a height less than 900mm.

Recommendation:

It is strongly recommended that all the recommendations are fulfilled in the Naktala station.

But, even if all cannot be implemented in this station, the upcoming stations should follow all these

minimum requirements.