The Delhi high court on Friday asked the city government, MCD and traffic police to set up a dedicated task force to monitor and direct vehicular traffic flow on some roads in city for a few days to find a solution for the inconvenience caused to pedestrians, rickshaw pullers and cyclists.
While hearing a petition filed by NGO Manushi Sangathan, a bench of Justices S. Ravindra Bhat and S. Muralidhar directed the parties to “sit together and formulate a plan” to assist the court in determining if lane driving can be enforced on all roads to encourage use of eco-friendly non-motorised vehicles such as cycle-rickshaws and bicycles.
The bench asked the concerned authorities to deploy teams of around five traffic police or other personnel each on few stretches and monitor the movement of traffic a week . They would also guide vehicles to move in dedicated lanes to see if such discipline can be enforced on a permanent basis, the bench said, asking the respondents to file the report by December 23, the next date of hearing.
The petition has sought the court’s direction to dismiss the ceiling of 99,000 on the maximum number of cyclerickshaws with licenses in the city as well as for separate lanes for motorised and non-motorised vehicles. The petition claims that to limit the number of cyclerickshaws would deprive the poor of livelihood and citizens of an eco-friendly mode of transport.
The bench was also shown a presentation by architect Pradeep Sachdeva who said it was essential and possible that the city’s roads be planned in such way that sufficient space is provided to motor vehicles, pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles.