HC tells Railways to reserve seats for the elderly in suburban trains

The Bombay High Court today asked the Railway authorities to come out with a scheme to reserve seats for senior citizens in suburban trains as the existing facility was not sufficient to accommodate the elders.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah gave six weeks time to Railways to file an affidavit on the issue. The Court was hearing a letter written by a senior citizen A B Thakkar urging for a direction to the authorities to reserve space for elders in local trains.

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This letter was converted into a PIL by the bench and heard today. The petitioner contended that the suburban trains were very crowded and it was almost impossible for the senior citizens to get into the compartments. Although some seats had been marked for the senior citizens in the local trains, it was difficult for the elders to reach the seats as they were deep inside the compartments, the PIL said.

The PIL argued that the Railway authorities had provided a separate bogie for handicapped persons and demanded that a similar facility could also be provided for senior citizens. The petition said that the authorities should come out with some facility which would help senior citizens travel more comfortably.

The Judges asked the Railways to think over the issue and come out with a scheme to accommodate senior citizens in local trains with greater comfort.