Suvarna Raj Train Seat: Suvarna Raj had booked a seat under Divyang quota on Wednesday for Nagpur Yatra. When he got the ticket, he was allotted an upper berth. However, he had changed seat with a senior citizen during the journey.
Para athlete and social activist Suvarna Raj once again faced trouble due to the fault of the railway system. Raj, who used to move with the help of a wheelchair, was given an upper berth instead of a lower one in the Delhi-Visakhapattan space. However, this is not the first time he has faced this situation. In the year 2017 also, he had made a difficult journey due to getting an upper berth.
According to the report of Times of India, Raj had booked a seat under the Divyang quota on Wednesday for the Nagpur Yatra. When he got the ticket, he was allotted an upper berth. However, he had changed seat with a senior citizen during the journey. Due to being a victim of polio in childhood, she faces difficulty in walking. In a conversation with the newspaper, he told, ‘In the four years since I had faced a similar situation and the assurance was given by the then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. It seems that nothing has changed and PwD (Person With Disablity) will still have to struggle.
In the year 2017, the upper berth was allotted in the Nagpur-Delhi train. After this he contacted TTE. They were told that the coach was full and there were no berths available. After a few months in September, he was once again not given a lower berth. According to the report, he told, ‘In 2017 I had to travel with my son sitting on the wet floor.’
He told, ‘This year I had to change my seat with a fellow passenger due to non-availability of TTE. I did not expect these troubles to come up again after so many years. According to the report, the railway official claimed that the allotment of seats is done by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. Railways have no role in this.
An IRCTC official told the newspaper that such information has been given in the system that if someone books a seat under the Divyang option, then he should be given a lower berth. The upper berth is given when the lower berth is fully booked. “This was not done intentionally or to cause any kind of inconvenience,” the official said. He said that if all the lower berths are filled, then it is necessary for the software to release the berths. “In such cases, the officers present in the train are instructed to adjust the seats,” he said.
