Representative file image.
The Ministry of Railways has approved quota for persons with disabilities in all trains irrespective of whether rail travel concession is offered or not.
According to railway sources, quota for PWDs will be earmarked in all reserved Express/Mail trains, including Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Humsafar, Gatimaan, Vande Bharat expresses. The quota would be made available irrespective of whether concessional fare facility is available or not.
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Going by the revised norms, four berths in Sleeper Class (two lower and two middle), four berths in Three Tier AC, 3E or 3A, (two lower and two middle), four berths in Specially Designed Second Class Luggage cum Guard (SLRD) coaches of Garib Rath trains, four seats in reserved Second Class sitting and AC Chair Car in those trains which have more than two coaches of these classes and four seats in Vande Bharat trains.
Specially designed seats
The sources said two specially designed seats (Seat No 40) in coach C1 and C7 caoches in case of eight car trains and C1 and C14 in 16 car trains for PWDs and one seat adjacent to these seats for their escorts or attender would be available in Vande Bharat Express Trains.
To avoid misuse of the provision, facility of booking tickets under the PWDs quota online would be available only to those persons who have been issued with Unique Identity Card by the Indian Railways. For booking tickets at reservation counters, the facility would be extended on production of the Unique Identity Card or the copy of the concessional certificate in prescribed format.
The Centre for Railway Information Systems, the IT arm of the railways, was told to modify the computerised reservation software to ensure verification of the Unique Idenitity Card issued to PWDs by the railways even in those trains where concessional fare facility was not available.
In case both of the specially designed seats earmarked for PWDs in Vande Bharat express trains were booked but one or both of the seats earmarked for their escort/attender remained vacant, such vacant seat or seats would be allotted to a person with disability.
Prior to the revised guidelines, PWDs and their escort/attender were provided accommodation under the quota only in those trains which allowed booking ticket on concession, the sources said. They added that no decision has been taken yet on restoring rail travel concession to senior citizens and other category of passengers who were given concessional fares before the pandemic.
