The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday directed the state government to create a plan with secure procedures to facilitate comfortable travel for differently-abled individuals, including visually impaired citizens.
The Court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) by advocate N Shreyas and Shreyas Global Trust for Social Causes.
Shreyas, who is a visually challenged individual, argued the case himself and said the respondents Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) do not provide audio directions to visually challenged passengers.
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The same is, however, given by private cab aggregators who also provide a panic button for emergencies. The staff of the public bus operators are also unable to help specially-abled persons during rush hours.
The petitioner further pointed out that similar programmes have been implemented in states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
The bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit noted that the notice was issued to the Government on August 3, 2022 but it had failed to reply with its objections till now.
The Court observed that the State was not taking a serious view of the situation. Directing the State to formulate a policy that would be a ‘model to the nation’, the HC adjourned the hearing of the PIL by six
weeks.
