High Court seeks DTC's response on PIL seeking removal of aged drivers

New Delhi, Sep 10: The Delhi

on Wednesday sought a response from the DTC on a plea seeking removal of ailing drivers and vehicle examiners who are aged above 55 years and are still driving the vehicles.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice G Rohini, issued the notice to Delhi government and the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) on the PIL alleging over-aged drivers and vehicle examiners put theirs as well as public and passengers' lives at risk.

Moreover, such employees of the DTC have been exempted from medical examinations, the plea alleged. The court has fixed the plea filed by advocate Kamran Malik for hearing on November 5. The plea has sought a direction to the officials of Delhi government and the DTC for "removing old and ill persons from the duty of driving services."

The persons, above 55 years of age, be deployed on "soft and easy" jobs, the PIL said. The plea cited an example of a driver of a DTC bus who is suffering from heart ailment but still driving a vehicle.

"Vehicle examiner Santram is an example of criminal negligence of DTC, which has put the lives of not only the personnel of DTC but passengers and persons on the roads and also in depots where such vehicle examiners are put to driving duties," it said.

"Issue direction to remove from duties the vehicle examiners in DTC who are aged above 55 years and exempted from medical examination... and most of them suffer from serious ailments," it said.

PTI