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VISUALLY IMPAIRED METROMAN AN INSPIRATION FOR ALL
Kolkata, Date: 22.07.2023
An old adage goes like this- “If you have will, there is a way”. Metroman Shri Kanailal Biswas is a living example of this. Born in a remote village Malighata of Nadia district adjacent to the Indo-Bangladesh border. Kanailal with 100% visual impairment has been a familiar face at Metro Rail Bhavan. Presently working as a Chief Office Superintendent at the Traffic Department, Kanailal by virtue of grit, determination, and iron will overcame all odds and completed his B.Com without taking the help of the Braille method and joined Metro Railway in 1989 through a special examination conducted by the Staff Selection Commission.
Though he is visually impaired, he has photographic memory power. Presently, he has been entrusted with the job to deal with passengers’ grievances and redress those grievances at the earliest. All the grievances of Metro passengers related to Operations and information sought through the Right to Information Act (RTI) by all stakeholders are being taken care of by this 58-year-old dedicated Metro staff.
Well-conversant with the Indian Railways Establishment Rules, Shri Kanailal Biswas has been one of the most sought-after men in his department. He got Railway Minister’s Award in 2008 for his outstanding performance. The government of West Bengal has also awarded him with the “Certificate of Merit as a Skilled Handicapped Person” in 1998 and in 2021.
Apart from office work, Kanailal also likes to do charity work and inspire other persons with disability with examples of his life. He is now the District Organising Commissioner of Bharat Scouts and Guides, Metro Railway district. During Durga Puja days he likes to give voluntary services at Metro stations along with other volunteers of Bharat Scouts and Guides to manage the heavy rush and extends the helping hands to persons with disability in that rush. He has also completed a special adventure course on Mountaineering from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, and also completed various expedition courses successfully. He also likes to unwind by writing poetries and small stories.
Proving the existing perception of handicapped people wrong, Shri Kanailal Biswas is also a responsible father of one son and one daughter. Regularly, he starts from his present address in New Town to reach Metro Railway headquarters, Metro Rail Bhavan in time by bus and Metro. For that, he dislikes to take any help or receive showering of compassion on him. Though Metro passengers may not be aware that this man drafts the replies to their grievances meticulously, Kanailal doesn’t want any extra recognition, sympathy or favour from anyone. He is the torch-bearer among the visually impaired people spreading the message of awareness and opening the eyes of thousands of normal citizens who only like to show sympathy to people like him.
