Technical difficulties are there to install ramp paths in buses: HC

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government on Wednesday informed the Madras High Court that it will be technically difficult to install the ramp paths in the rear end of the buses for easy accessibility of disabled people.

The state made this submission before Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Bharatha Chakravathy. The court was seized with a petition filed by disabled rights activist Vaishnavi Jayakumar for a direction to procure low-floor buses for the transport department.

While hearing this matter last Friday, the bench asked the state to file its response on whether inclined ramp path facilities can be made for easy access of physically challenged people.

"The automobile firms are reluctant to sell buses which are 400 mm high from the ground. They are ready to sell buses having the ground clearance of 900mm and 650 mm and in which lift and ramps can be installed respectively, " the state submitted.

As the petitioner raised that the state cannot operate a few number of low-floor buses and force disabled people to wait to get their accessible buses, the bench directed the government to introduce an app to display the arrival timings of disabled-friendly buses.