The DTC today informed the Delhi High Court that the ailing drivers and vehicle examiners aged above 55 years who were driving its buses are now deployed at its CNG filling stations.
The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) submitted before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw that earlier they were driving buses but now all have been shifted to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) filling stations.
"Earlier, there were some. Now their services are not being utilised for driving the buses. All of them have been deployed at CNG pumps," the DTC, the main public transport operator of Delhi, said.
DTC made this submission while seeking dismissal of the PIL alleging that over-aged drivers and vehicle examiners put theirs as well as public and passengers' lives at risk.
Considering the submissions of the transport department, the court said "service of vehicle examiner is not being used, so no further direction requires in this petition."
The plea filed by advocate Kamran Malik had alleged that such employees of DTC have also been exempted from medical examinations.
The petitioner had sought a direction to the officials of Delhi government and the DTC for "removing old and ill persons from the duty of driving services".
Those above 55 years of age be deployed on "soft and easy" jobs, the PIL had said.
The plea had cited an example of a DTC driver who is suffering from heart ailment but is 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 on driving duties," it had 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.
