HC moved against tender to procure 1,107 buses by IRT

CHENNAI: A cross disabilities rights activist has approached the Madras High Court for a direction to quash a government tender notification dated October 10 issued by the state government to procure 1,107 non-AC diesel buses for intra-city operations.

The first bench of Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy ordered a notice returnable by two weeks by the State government on hearing this petition filed by Vaishnavi Jayakumar, cross disabilities rights activist, and the co-founder Banyan.

According to the petitioner, the State government’s Institute of Road Transport has issued the notification calling for supplying 1,770 buses that include 1,107 non-ac diesel buses with a floor height of 900mm.

“As per the law, the government should procure only low-floor buses with a floor height of 400 mm and a maximum floor height of 650 mm. The move of the state government is against Section 41 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016,” the petitioner said in her affidavit.

She further submitted that the government must procure universally accessible buses as per the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.

“After the government failed to follow the 1995 Act, petitions were moved before the court, a series of orders were passed and the 1955 Act was modified as the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016,” the petitioner noted.

In 2021, the petitioner approached the HC for a direction to the government to comply with the 2016 Act in procuring buses. “Though the court ordered the government to ply all buses in line with the 2016 Act, the current tender notification has come against the court orders,” Vaishnavi highlighted.