SUMAN DOVAL Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner who is a public spirited Advocate of this court has filed this petition in which he has highlighted problems created by the public transport system in Delhi. The bus service is the backbone of the public transport system for a city with the population of over 10 millions. Unlike Bombay, Calcutta, Madras or other metropolitan cities of the world, this metropolitan city does not have a Metro or quick inter-city rail transportation and almost the entire population is dependent on bus services for commutation.

(2.) It became imperative for the petitioner to file this petition when suddenly the "Redline bus service' was introduced. The petitioner submitted that before conducting any scientific study or imperical research regarding acute problems of traffic, conditions of roads and pollution, the government dumped over 3000 buses on Delhi roads. Ostensibly, this was done in the larger public interest to provide prompt transport facility to the people of Delhi. In doing so, all relevant factors and necessary parameters as indicated above were not taken into consideration.

(3.) The Redline bus service which was entrusted with the task of providing safe and good transport system has .miserably failed in accomplishing the object because the Redline bus service lacked the infrastructural facilities. The Redline bus service did not have 3000 and odd numbers of well trained and qualified drivers/ conductors and immediately after the introduction of this bus service, large number of complaints started piling up. The national newspapers were compelled to publish news pertaining to rash, negligent and reckless driving of these buses causing large number of fatal and other accidents on Delhi Roads. By the Redline bus service', in a span of less than 9 months, more than 140 persons have been killed, and several hundreds of persons have received serious injuries. This has happened primarily because basic norms and parameters of safe driving and road discipline were not observed by the drivers of these vehicles. These allegations of the petitioner have received corroboration even from the public authorities.