NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked whether money from the state treasury should be used to create housing, health and educational facilities for the poor or to install cycle paths in the country. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, which heard a petition seeking to create separate cycle lanes across the country, observed that development in the country was not uniform.
“Tell us: will the money from the state treasury be used to create housing and educational centers for the poor or for this (creating separated bike lanes)?” the court asked the petitioner’s lawyer.
He continued: “In all major cities there is a serious housing problem for the poor. People live in slums. Health and educational facilities for the poor are lacking. Should all these elementary facilities or these bicycle tracks be provided?”
At first, the court referred to the petitioner’s prayer and wondered whether such relief could be granted.
“They want separate cycle lanes to be created throughout India. It is very ambitious,” he said.
The petitioner’s lawyer said several states had bicycle lanes.
He said there was even a cycle track outside one of the upper court gates, but it was not available around a bend.
The petitioner’s counsel referred to the Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Transformation scheme which focuses on development of basic infrastructure in selected cities and towns.
“How can we issue such an order (for creation of separated cycle lanes),” the court said? “This is a daydream of the petitioner.”
The lawyer referred to the question of Pollution in Delhi-NCR during winters and said having separated bike lanes could help mitigate the problem.
The court published the arguments on February 10.