A Bengaluru-based CEO has reignited the debate around wheelchair use at airports after sharing an incident he witnessed. Sumit Ramani, co-founder and CEO of ProtectMeWell, took to X to describe how a woman arrived at an airport lounge in a wheelchair, only to later stand up and walk in heels to collect a plate of food.
In his post shared yesterday, Bengaluru-based Ramani said that the woman appeared to be in her early 60s. She arrived at the airport lounge in a wheelchair, assisted by airline staff, and immediately got up to help herself to food.
Ramani, who is a consulting actuary, noted that the woman not only walked with apparent ease, she did so while wearing heels. He did not specify at which airport the incident occurred.
(Also read: Vir Das says Air India didn’t give wheelchair to injured wife. Airline’s response)
Bengaluru CEO’s post
“Sitting in an airport lounge, I watched a lady (possibly in her early 60s) arrive in a wheelchair, assisted by airline staff. The moment she was inside, she stood up with ease, walked across the floor in her reasonably high heels, and returned with a generously loaded plate of food,” Ramani said in his X post.
“I am trying very hard not to judge,” he added.
In a follow-up post, he said that the woman using a wheelchair was justified if she paid for the service or if she had a genuine medical condition that prevents her from walking for long distances at a stretch.
(Also read: Airport wheelchair guidelines set to be reviewed)
Ramani’s post comes months after widespread outrage over alleged misuse of free wheelchair facilities at airports.
Post ignites debate
The post triggered a heated debate around wheelchair usage at airports. Many airlines and airports across India provide complimentary wheelchair access for elderly passengers, or those with disabilities.
However, people can also pay for a concierge service and avail wheelchair access at certain airports.
“This is quite common nowadays. But what’s wrong if she’s fully paying for the concierge services and getting escorted?” wrote X user Sahil Garg.
“This is really horrible behavior which can be witnessed at many Indian airports. The number of wheelchairs parked to wheel them out when they deplane is too much,” another person countered.
One person suggested imposing fines on people who misuse free wheelchair facilities. “Instead of moral outrage, we should deploy systems to fix such people. Use the airport CCTVs to identify them. Then impose 10X fine on them. That’s all it takes provided someone can implement these rules unbiasedly. All should be treated equal in this, including so called VIPs,” he wrote.
Some others wanted to give the woman the benefit of doubt. “Don’t know about this particular case but there are conditions like CHF or even MS where a person is unable to walk long distances but can comfortably effect shorter duration ambulation,” said X user Sanjay Malhotra.
