BMA faces suit over lack of skytrain lifts
A group of 98 disabled people filed a classaction lawsuit against City Hall yesterday for failing to follow a court order to install enough lifts at its BTS skytrain stations.
On Jan 21, 2015, the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) ordered the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to complete the installation within one year, or by Jan 21 last year.
Two years down the line there are only three usable lifts in the system, the group said.
The group demanded city officials pay them 361,000 baht each, based on travel inconvenience estimated at 1,000 baht per day, according to the petition lodged with the Civil Court by their representative Suphontham Mongkhonsawat, a 50-yearold teacher who lost the use of his legs to polio.
If the court rules in their favour, the BMA would have to pay compensation totalling 35.8 million baht as of yesterday.
Two years have passed, but “the plaintiff has ignored the problem”, according to the complaint, which also stressed people with disabilities should be granted the same right to public transport as ordinary people.
The city’s Traffic and Transport Department denied ignoring the court order, saying “physical hindrances” and “liquidity problems” of a contractor were responsible for the delay.
The SAC had ordered City Hall to install an additional 56 lifts at 19 skytrain stations as most only have escalators or stairs, making them inaccessible to people in wheelchairs.
Meanwhile, Thirayut Sukhonthawit, chairman of the Transport for All advocacy group, said he asked city officials early last year to explain the lack of progress in construction and was informed that it would be finished in September 2016.
However, there has been very little progress, he said, so his group needs to ask again when the lifts will be installed.
Traffic and Transport Department chief, Suthon Anakun, yesterday said lifts would be in place at most stations “within the year”.
Only Taksin station will face a further delay as the city is redesigning the station so it can accommodate double tracks, he said.
“Lifts at Phrom Phong, Ratchadamri and Thong Lor stations will be ready for use in April,” Mr Suthon said.
The contractor has installed up to 12 lifts so far, but they only connect the street to the ticket offices, not the platforms.
The contractor said construction has been difficult because certain sites are not designed to support the building of lifts, according to Mr Suthon.