NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Friday approved the installation of hydraulic lifts in 1,000 Standard Floor Buses (SFB). Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal approved payment of Rs 36 crore for the modification of the buses. Keeping in mind the needs of differently-abled commuters, the Cabinet, under the leadership of Kejriwal, gave the go ahead for the payment.
The move comes after a petition was filed challenging the government’s decision to procure 2,000 SFBs. The appeal sought the court’s intervention in the matter to stop the government from going ahead with its plan. The PIL mentioned that the standard floor buses were not disabled-friendly as they were mounted on a truck chassis and their height prevented differently-abled persons from boarding them.
“The Cabinet approved the proposal to allow the reimbursement of the cost of fitment of lifts on 1,000 buses, at a benchmark cost of Rs 3,63,396 per bus, amounting to a total of Rs 36,33,96,000 to the concessionaries”, said a statement from the Delhi government. According to the government, the prototype of buses with hydraulic lifts for wheelchair-bound commuters has been prepared. Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot held a demonstration of a bus fitted with the lift earlier.
“The reimbursement of the cost shall be made to the concessionaires at the time of actual induction of buses, subject to a supplementary agreement to be executed by the concessionaire with the department about the recovery of expenses incurred by the government after taking into account the depreciation factor in the eventuality of termination of agreement” added the statement. “This step will make travel easier for people with disabilities, but there are many hesitations in people, so the government needs to do awareness work, said an official.
Giving the disabled a helping hand
The move comes after a petition was filed challenging the government’s recent decision to procure 2,000 standard floor buses to improve public transport in the national capital. The lifts would enable the disabled to easily board the buses.