Delhi HC allows AAP govt to procure 500 standard floor buses

The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed the AAP government to procure 500 standard floor buses for the national capital.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao made it clear that the standard floor buses, proposed to be procured, should have hydraulic lifts for easy access to differently-abled persons.

The bench dismissed the petition by a differently-abled person, Nipun Malhotra, who 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.

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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.

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The Supreme Court on August 2 had allowed the Delhi government and DTC to go ahead with 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.

The apex court had permitted procurement of 500 SFBs as an interim measure to take care of “pressing needs” of commuters using public transport in the city, after the Delhi government assured that hydraulic lifts would be installed in the buses to make them accessible by disabled persons.