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Synopsis

The Bombay High Court has directed the State Government to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken to provide easy access for disabled persons on the footpaths in the city of Mumbai.

“The board is constituted, accordingly, we call upon the AGP to file an affidavit by the state advisory board by a high-level officer which shall contain details of steps taken for providing easy access to the disabled on footpaths in the city of Mumbai,” the order states.

The division bench of the high court, comprising Chief Justice Devendra K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor, was hearing a Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL) registered by the high court after it received an email from a 25-year-old Shivaji Park resident, Karan Shah, who has been wheelchair-bound since birth.

Senior Advocate Anil Singh, representing the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), informed the court that the deadline of three months for resolving discrepancies related to bollards on footpaths affecting disabled persons is ending on March 7, and work is currently in progress.

The State's counsel informed the bench that the State Advisory Board, established under Section 71 of the Right of Persons With Disability Act 2016, had already been formed by the State Government.

Therefore, the bench has now sought details about the steps taken by the advisory board to provide easy access for disabled persons on the footpaths of Mumbai.

Simultaneously, the bench has also tagged a writ petition along with PIL which is concerned with the issue of accessibility to bus stops, bus terminals and other such places for persons with disability.

The high court also asked the counsels appearing for the Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to seek instructions over the removal of bollards on the roads within their respective jurisdictions.

The bench will hear the PIL after 2 weeks.

Case title: High Court on its own motion