SC Goes Hard At NHAI; Asks Not To Collect Tolls For Bad Roads

BENGALURU: The good news is out, for those who are annoyed payng highway tools which are ill maintained. As per ToI’s reports, the Supreme Court has ordered the central government to not to collect toll charges on the abysmal highways.

The case pertaining to the Raipur-Durg stretch on NH-53 was reported to the Supreme Court. Consequently, the highest court ordered a panel that was headed by the retired District Judge to submit a report on the quality and maintenance of the particular highway stretch, added to the report on the amount of toll that is being collected respectively.

The panel’s report was against the collection of toll fee on bad roads. Thus the Supreme Court bench of Justices T S Thakur and Kurian Joseph ordered "no toll for bad roads, general public should not be made to suffer on both counts - bad roads and hefty toll" to the National Highway Authority of India and the concessionaires.

Though the central government has taken over the road and has been collecting tolls from the March, the Supreme Court ordered the previous concessionaires to refund 11 crores to the central government as a penalty for poor maintenance of the highway, when under its authority.

Nevertheless, the central government’s plea argued that the NHAI has reduced, 60 percent of the previous charges. In order to fix the dilapidated road, but the Supreme Court defied the plea and order NHAI to reduce the toll charges 20 percent of the previous charges.
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