Plea in HC by disabled commuter against odd/even vehicle formula

The Delhi High Court on Friday posted for December 23 a plea filed by a physically challenged commuter against the city government's decision on only allowing even and odd number cars to ply in Delhi on alternative dates.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath refrained from passing any order on the plea, saying it would hear the case on December 23, when other similar pleas would come up for hearing.

The petitioner, Nipun Malhotra, moved the court asking to allow physically challenged commuters to use own vehicles as public transport is not disabled friendly.

The court had earlier refused to restrain the city government from enforcing its odd-even vehicle formula, saying the decision is on a "trial basis".

The PILs filed earlier had said the government announced its plan to restrict the number of cars on roads without first conducting a public debate and a study of the pros and cons of a system based on whether the registration number of a motor vehicle ends in an even or odd digit.

It had said the decision was taken without considering the disturbing effect it would have on the public at large.

To bring down the increasing air pollution level in the nat ional capital, the Delhi government has decided that from January 1, private vehicles would be allowed to run on the streets on alternate dates depending on whether their licence plates numbers end in odd or even numbers.

The plea had said the government had also ignored the disabled who used modified private vehicles and under no circumstances, they would be able to commute by public transport.

The plea had also said that curtailing the movement of citizens on the basis of registration number of their vehicles would also leave several citizens stranded on every alternate day.