The DGCA mentioned that Air India failed to adapt to its guidelines on carriage of individuals with incapacity. File
The aviation security regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has imposed a penalty of ₹30 lakh on Air India for the death of an 80-year-old passenger from a cardiac arrest after a delay in offering him a wheelchair on the Mumbai airport earlier this month, however incapacity rights activists say a mere rap on the knuckles doesn’t change a lot.
On February 12, the octogenarian, Babu Patel, and his spouse arrived on Air India’s New York to Mumbai flight. They had each requested a wheelchair. But when just one wheelchair was accessible for the couple, Mr. Patel was requested to attend for one other one. But he determined to stroll alongside along with his spouse, who used the wheelchair. Slightly later, he collapsed on the airport and was rushed to Nanavati Hospital the place the medical doctors declared him lifeless.
The DGCA mentioned in a press assertion on Thursday that the airline failed to adapt to its guidelines on carriage of individuals with incapacity. Air India additionally didn’t inform the regulator “about any action taken by the airline against the erring employee(s) and the airline also failed to submit any corrective actions taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.”
Wheelchair stock
Though the wheelchair stock must be maintained by airports, and the DGCA’s personal guidelines state that the essential accountability for offering wheelchairs within the terminal constructing is that of the airport operator, the airways could present additional wheelchairs for the comfort of their passengers within the terminal constructing. No motion has been taken by the DGCA in opposition to the airport operator.
At the time of the tragic incident, there was a requirement for 200 wheelchairs from varied airways on the airport and the Air India’s flight from New York alone had a request for 33 wheelchairs.
While the airline business cites misuse of wheelchairs, together with from these passengers who e-book it for worldwide journey to avail free escort service to beat language issues at overseas airports in addition to for senior residents who could or could not have mobility points, activists say there’s a want for airways to develop protocols to take care of the varied wants of its passengers.
Disability rights activist, Vaishnavi Jayakumar of Disability Rights Alliance explains that although airways in India gather info from medically ailing passengers searching for wheelchair help to outline whether or not or not they will ascend and descend stairs, or whether or not they’re fully motionless (in Special Service Request Codes), the identical info also needs to be collected from those that endure from decreased mobility however don’t have an sickness. This info also needs to be used to offer a customized answer proper via the airport from the doorway to the boarding gate and vice versa. For instance, a senior citizen who is able to stroll as much as the airport passenger constructing from the plane might be offered a buggy as an alternative of a wheelchair thereby liberating up wheelchairs for different customers.
She additionally factors out that airports fail to make sure ambulift when there are not any aerobridges in order that wheelchair-passengers don’t need to be carried awkwardly up a step ladder. This is regardless of the DGCA’s guidelines making them obligatory, or requiring provision of a ramp when ambulifts and aerobridges can’t be ensured.
It can also be necessary to make the wheelchair reserving course of a easy one-step train, as an alternative of passengers being required to make a cellphone name 48 hours earlier than their journey and making a particular request. This too is laid down beneath the foundations.
There can also be a requirement for common inner audits to be carried out over the oversight of the DGCA to make sure assistive gadgets can be found as per the advice of the Ashok Kumar Committee on carriage of individuals with disabilities in October 2012.
