NT Reporter
Panaji
The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday expanded the scope of a public interest litigation that was initially confined to making Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) buses accessible to visually impaired passengers, saying the case presents an opportunity to examine accessibility standards across public infrastructure.
Describing the original reliefs as “a little narrow”, the High Court said, “An additional affidavit of the petitioner has also been placed on record. Parties are also put to notice that after hearing all the parties, we may also enlarge the scope of the public interest litigation so as to examine the entire standards and parameters which are reflected in the Persons with Disabilities Act as well as the Motor Vehicles Act and Rules along with the state government and corporations’ policy towards disabled persons.”
The court also gave leave to implead the Director of Transport as Respondent No 6 and the Union of
India as Respondent No 7 in the petition.
Petitioner Harish M Parab said that the legal framework extends beyond the state since the specifications and structural design of public buses are primarily governed by
central rules.
Taking note of this aspect, the court impleaded the Union of India so that it can examine national manufacturing guidelines and whether future public transport acquisitions comply with universal design requirements.
The court also observed that the existing state transport rules do not contain adequate provisions to implement accessibility in public transport. It recorded the state government’s assurance that recommendations on the issue would be actively considered.
The High Court further directed the petitioner’s counsel to coordinate with the state commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, noting the commissioner’s experience in implementing welfare and accessibility initiatives, including the state’s Purple Fest.
During the hearing, the Court reiterated its intention to broaden the proceedings, stating, “We want to widen the scope of this petition because we feel that your reliefs are a little narrow.”
The matter has been posted for further hearing on August 19.
