As part of securing the road rights of cyclists, a PIL was filed in the Indore High Court by SUM Net’s local partner in the city- Ashok Dubey and a group of cyclists created by him- Cycle Yatri Samooh (SAYAS). Local lawyer and activist Ashok Chitale helped in filing this PIL. In response to the PIL, the Indore High Court on November 30, 2018 issued notices to Indore Smart City Company and state government in a petition seeking better transportation facilities for pedestrians and cyclists across the city. The petition filed by Cycle Yatri Samooh and other social organizations was heard by division bench of Justice SC Sharma and Justice Virendra Singh, who directed respondents to reply within eight weeks.
The petitioners have sought for securing of right of life and liberty of pedestrians and cyclists on roads, who are most prone to accidents. The petitioners have referred to two major policies implemented by Centre regarding urban planning- National Urban Transport Policy and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) mission. The petitioner has alleged that while many such schemes are implemented which allow for infrastructure for pedestrian, however, they are not implemented properly on ground. There is also UN resolution for road safety which is also not followed as there have been many accidents which have caused death or injury to pedestrians or cyclists.
