Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court has taken a stern view of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s delay in filing reply in a PIL concerning the accessibility of public transport infrastructure for persons with disabilities, imposing a cost of 10,000 on the civic body’s transport deputy commissioner.A division bench comprising acting chief justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Rohit Joshi directed that the outstanding amount be recovered from the salary of the official responsible for failing to file the affidavit despite repeated opportunities.The PIL was filed by Prakash Andhare through counsel Sejal Lakhani, who alleged that most bus stops and footpaths in Nagpur are not disability-friendly, making it difficult for persons with disabilities to independently as well as safely access public transport facilities.Despite multiple opportunities granted by the court, the NMC failed to file its response even by June 30.The court granted the civic body a final opportunity to file its response by July 18. The bench further permitted the petitioner to file a rejoinder, if necessary, by July 28.
