Cabinet approves hydraulic lifts in 1,000 DTC buses for disabled

New Delhi: The Delhi Cabinet on Friday approved the reimbursement cost of fitting hydraulic lifts in 1,000 standard floor CNG buses, a move aimed at benefitting differently abled people. The buses are being procured by the Delhi government.

The Cabinet meeting, chaired by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, approved the proposal of the transport department for reimbursing the incremental cost of fitting hydraulic lifts, including annual maintenance cost for ten years, to the concerned concessionaires, a statement by the Delhi government said.

The hydraulic lifts are to be fitted with the 1,000 standard floor buses, enabling them to be used by differently abled people, as directed by the Supreme Court and the Delhi high court. “The cabinet approved the reimbursement of the overall cost of fitment of lifts to 1,000 buses, at a benchmark cost of `3,63,396 per bus, totalling `36,33,96,000 (including GST), to the concessionaries,” the statement said.

The technology of fitting hydraulic lifts is new in India for standard floor buses. The prototype of buses with hydraulic lifts for wheelchair bound commuters has been prepared.