Make public transport disabled-friendly: Delhi HC

NEW DELHI: Delhi high court on Monday directed AAP government to ensure that every mode of public transport in the city is disabled-friendly.

While hearing a PIL challenging its proposed purchase of 2,000 standard-floor buses for the capital, a bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued the notice to Delhi government seeking the status of the procurement of these buses which, according to the petitioner, are not disabled-friendly. 

"Delhi should be the path-breaker. Ensure every mode of public transport is disabled friendly. You buy 30,000 buses if you want to, but let them be disabled-friendly. You need to be more progressive," the bench observed while asking the government to furnish a status report before the next date of hearing on November 14.

The government, however, urged the bench to not pass any adverse order and said that the city needed more buses in the wake of the metro fare hike which has affected thousands of commuters. 

The court was hearing a PIL filed by a person suffering from loco-motor disability, challenging the government's move to procure 2,000 standard-floor buses at a cost of Rs 300 crore.

Source: Times of India Nov 2, 2017