HC directs TNSTC to file report on number of disabled-friendly buses

A division bench comprising judges Vineet Kothari and Anita Sumant, before whom a plea moved by disability rights activist Rajiv Rajan and P Muruganandham came for hearing, passed the direction after conflicting views arose during the hearing.

Amicus curiae T Mohan made a submission that the HC had issued an order on April 6, 2016 directing the corporation to ensure that all buses purchased after that should be disabled-friendly.

Though the government purchased as many as 257 buses since then, including 57 buses a fortnight ago, none of them were disabled-friendly.

However, the counsel appearing for TNSTC cited a Supreme Court order and said that the endeavor was to ensure that at least 10 per cent of the buses were disabled-friendly.

To this, the bench pointed out that the HC order was not challenged and hence it cannot be superseded and confined to 10 per cent of the buses.

The TNSTC counsel, who sought more time to file a report on the exact status, said that there are many factors involved in this as the roads are not suited for low floor buses and the bus stops also have to be modified to accommodate the needs of differently-abled persons. The counsel also added that the TNSTC was working in tandem with the corporation to achieve this.

When the petitioner, Murganandham, sought for speedy action, the bench said, “We don’t have a magic wand to change things overnight. The state has financial limitations, too.” The bench then posted the case to February 7.

Similarly, the bench also closed another petition filed by Muruganantham seeking a separate video conferencing scheme to enable people with disabilities to participate in court proceedings. . Irked by this, members of the Disability Rights Community have demanded an immediate change.