Chennai: Observing that the number of disabled friendly buses in Tamilnadu appeared to be wholly indequate, the Madras High Court Wednesday directed the state government and transport corporation to submit separate reports on the availability of such buses.
A division bench, comprising Justices Dr Vineet Kothari and Dr Anitha Sumanth, before which a Public Interest Litigation petition from L Muruganandam came up, was informed that only 10 of the 23,998 buses of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Department provide access to people with locomotive disability.
To this, the bench said that Prima facie, it appeared to be a wholly inadequate number. The bench then directed the transport commissioner to furnish a report on availability of buses, which could suitably be modified to provide easy access and ride to such people, and also their plans to acquire more number of buses to provide more facilities to a large section of this class of people.
The bench also made the Union and the state governments as respondents to the PIL, seeking facilities in all the educational institutions and the buildings to be accessible to the differently abled by providing ramps and hand-railings.
The PIL also sought automated motorised wheel-chairs with height adjustment canes and accessible toilet facilities, besides proper access routes to corridors, lobbies and pathways for the differently abled, particularly in educational institutions. The bench then posted the matter for further hearing to 2 January.