New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS): The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the city government to inform it about an issue raised in a plea that the DTC has been deputing vehicle examiners above 55 years for driving duties and putting at risk the lives of passengers.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw asked the Delhi government counsel to take instructions and inform the court on the allegations made in the petition by Sep 17.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed against the Delhi government and the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), seeking directions for them to stop from driving those vehicle examiners in the DTC who are mostly above 55 years of age and exempted from medical examination, which is mandatory for drivers.

The plea filed by Kamran Malik through advocate Kamran Siddiqui said that most vehicle examiners beyond 55 years of age suffer from serious ailments and the DTC should be restrained from deploying them for driving duties in any manner whether on roads or inside the depots.

It said that despite promoting vehicle examiners from the post of drivers, the DTC has been asking them to drive buses.

The vehicle examiner's job is not to drive buses on daily routes and therefore there was no requirement of medical or fitness examinations for them for continuing in service and their age of superannuation was 60 years, the plea said.

"Therefore, it is apparently risky to take driving duties from vehicle examiners who are generally beyond the age of 55 years and not subject to any medical or fitness tests," it added.

The plea said vehicle examiners were there for examination of vehicles being taken out of the depot and vehicles in the shedding depot.

There duties are also related to the training of new drivers in the training school.

The petitioner said he interacted with vehicle examiner Santram, who is 59 years old and suffering from hearing impairment and other diseases.

After promotion as vehicle examiner he was exempted from the annual medical examination mandatory for drivers.

But he continued driving a passenger bus which carries 60-70 passengers.

"There is grave danger not only to the life of the driver but also to the lives of passengers of the bus, as apparently the driver is not in a fit medical condition to drive," the plea said.