'Adhere to HC order, procure low-floor buses'
The IRT complied with the court order by modifying the tender for procurement of the buses under KFW funding by limiting high-floor bus numbers to 950.
Madras High Court (File)
CHENNAI: Freedom of Movement Coalition, a network of disability rights groups advocating for transport equity, has urged the state government and the state transport corporations to adhere to the Madras High Court's April 18 order directing procurement of only low-floor buses for the city and town services across the state.
Despite the court order, the Institute of Road Transport (IRT), the central purchasing unit of the state transport undertakings, has floated bids to procure high-floor buses for the town services instead of the low-floor buses which makes public transport buses accessible to persons with disabilities.
The high court on April 18 this year, in a writ petition filed by activist Vaishnavi Jayakumar challenging the procurement of 1107 high-floor buses, ordered that the IRT procure only 950 high-floor buses and float a fresh tender to purchase 157 low-floor buses. "The permission to purchase the high floor buses is granted by this order only as an exception and all endeavour should be made to purchase only low floor buses in the ensuing years, in respect of the fleet which to be run within the cities and suburbs, " the order said.
The IRT complied with the court order by modifying the tender for procurement of the buses under KFW funding by limiting high-floor bus numbers to 950. However, it floated a separate tender for procurement of fully built 150 low-floor buses instead of the court-ordered 157 low-floor buses.
However, the IRT subsequently floated three separate tenders for procuring 1850 buses for Mofussil and town services. "Apart from the tender for 400 mofussil buses, the tenders for 450 town-type buses and 1000 mofussil and express operation violate the court order. The 1000 bus tender was floated based on a government order dated November 25, 2022, which stipulates 60 per cent of the buses for town services and 40 per cent for mofussil services. Instead, it is being tendered as 100 per cent mofussil. To prevent such manipulation of bus-type requirements, it is proposed that only low-floor buses are procured and existing high-floor buses are retrofitted with lifts reallocated for mofussil use, " Vaishnavi Jayakumar of FMC said.
To Vaishnavi's queries, K Phanindra Reddy, additional chief secretary to the Transport Department said that the bids floated for the 1000 buses are being procured for SETC and mofussil routes including village roads that are currently not in a position to operate low-floor buses. On the delay in the procurement of low-floor buses for Chennai, the transport secretary said that steps are being taken to procure 157 low-floor buses with additional funding from the state government.
The request for proposal to procure 100 electricity buses has been sent to the KfW for the NoC, he said, adding that the financial bid opened for the procurement of 442 low-floor buses and it is under evaluation.
According to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways amendment to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, from April 1, the fitness certificate would be issued to town buses only if it have an identifiable area to accommodate at least one wheelchair user. "If the rule is enforced in the state, not even one bus will ply in the cities or towns in the state, she said.
