AAP govt to procure 500 standard floor buses
The Delhi High Court on Monday gave the AAP government, permission to procure 500 standard floor buses for the national capital. The standard floor buses, proposed to be procured, should have hydraulic lifts to give an easy access to differently-abled persons, said a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao.
A differently-abled person, Nipun Malhotra, had filed two PILs challenging the Delhi government and the DTC's decision to buy standard floor buses (SFBs) instead of low floor buses (LFBs) for the national capital, which was dismissed by the bench.
He had contended that SFBs were not disabled-friendly as they were mounted on truck chassis and their height prevented differently-abled persons from boarding them.
After pronouncement of the verdict, Advocate Jai Dehadrai, appearing for Malhotra, said they will soon move the Supreme Court challenging today's judgment.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government and the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) had earlier told the high court that the SSBs proposed to be procured, were disabled friendly as they would have hydraulic lifts for easy access.
On August 2, the Supreme Court had given permission to the Delhi government and the DTC to proceed with the procurement of 500 SFBs, out of the 1,000 proposed to be bought, and had said that the high court would decide regarding the remaining.
