The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking direction for the Delhi government to reconsider its decision to withdraw Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus services to schools. The bench of Justice Satish Chander Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad on Wednesday decided to dismiss the petition.
The plea stated that the Delhi government's decision to withdraw the DTC buses from schools would have adverse effects on not just the parents and students, but on every Delhiite, as this decision impinges on the right to a clean environment, which is an implicit aspect of Article 21.
The Petitioner, Baba Alexander a native of Kerala and a resident of Delhi stated that being a parent, he is deeply concerned for fellow parents whose children are studying in schools which are affected by the decision of the DTC to withdraw its bus services to schools.
The plea stated that the decision of DTC to withdraw its services to schools has come as a disappointment for parents and children at large. The plea mentioned that DTC had been providing its services to schools in Delhi for years and there is no justified reason for now discontinuing its service to schools.
The decision of the respondents is also one which will aggravate traffic congestion on Delhi roads. There are already reports that since unlock phase began from March 2022, the traffic situation in Delhi is even worse than what it was prior to COVID. The decision to withdraw bus services to schools will thereby increase vehicular pollution and make the air quality worse. It will also increase traffic woes and may result in a lot of time wastage in travelling, the plea said.
From the perspective of the safety of the child; the decision of DTC is one that causes anxiety to parents. The said decision will also increase the financial hardship of parents as they would have to pay more in the name of transportation charges during these precarious times when Covid-19 is still around us, the plea added.
Appearing for petitioner Advocates Robin Raju, Deepa Joseph and Blessan Mathews had submitted that the lack of profit or loss should not be taken as a valid ground for taking the decision to withdraw bus services to schools, as the Delhi Government is a public transport company and ultimately the objective of a state-run department should be to serve maximum citizens and improve it service in a periodic manner.
(With inputs from PTI)
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