Braille maps in Bengaluru railway station

Bengaluru March 30: Daily we see many of the blind people on the roads, some will help to them for crossing the roads, and some will give support to them to reach their destination, but no one will see them at all time, so a railway station in Bengaluru City has planned to help them.

With India home to the maximum number of visually impaired individuals in the world and Karnataka possessing a higher percentage of blind people than the national average, it is fitting that the second visually-impaired friendly railway station in the country now figures in the state. Mysuru attained this distinction on November 3, 2015.

On 14 march various facilities to aid the blind were unveiled at the Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (Bengaluru City) railway station.

Two Braille scripted tactile maps that will help a visually impaired person identify directions to platforms, ticket counters, restrooms, and restaurants were inaugurated in the concourse area in front of Platform One.

A total of 600 Braille platform indicators has been placed along the railings of the old Foot Over Bridge and the subway. Braille timetables will be made available at enquiry counters, apart from Braille menu in important eateries in the premises of the railway station.

NGO Anuprayaas, which was instrumental in setting these facilities up in Mysuru, has now done it in Bengaluru. The cost of Rs 7 crore, required for the project was borne by Altius Realty as part of its CSR initiatives.

Yeshwantpur will be the next station in the state to become visually impaired-friendly, Sridharamurthy said.