For passenger with fractured leg, WR promptly provides free wheelchair, but it is unfit for use

Promptly responding to a tweet by a passenger on the Saurashtra Mail, the Western Railway arranged a wheelchair for him before he arrived at Bandra Terminus at 5.45 am. The problem was — the wheelchair had a rope for a footrest.

Jeet Mehta, who was travelling alone, had tweeted saying he had a fractured leg and what awaited him at the platform was a damaged wheelchair. With a valid ID, a person can usually approach the station master to avail the wheelchair facility for free. Mehta had sought immediate help at the platform.

“Wheelchairs are available at stations for free. However, if someone asks for a coolie to help them into the wheelchair, the coolie can charge for it,” said a senior railway official.

Mehta agreed to pay the amount, but wondered how many people in distress would be able to afford the service. The divisional office of WR tweeted, “Inconvenience deeply regretted. New wheelchairs will soon be provided and existing ones will be repaired.”

WR replied promptly and told him about two paid options — coolie assistance and battery-operated cars. Later in the evening, Mehta shared images of the wheelchair he had been provided.

Jeet Mehta, who was travelling alone, had tweeted saying he had a fractured leg — what awaited him at the platform was a damaged wheelchair. The problem was it had a rope for a footrest. Mehta was told about two paid options — coolie assistance and battery-operated cars.