Operators of the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway will not be able to collect toll tax from vehicles for the next 15 days, thanks to a ruling by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The High Court yesterday suspended the operators’ right to collect toll tax on the Delhi to Gurgaon expressway for fifteen days, saying the concessionaire had failed to ensure smooth flow of traffic on the highway.
The Division Bench, which was comprised of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, also criticized stake holder Delhi-Gurgaon Super Connectivity Limited (DSCL) for its failure to comply with the court’s order to find a solution to the problem of congestion on the toll plaza and avoid chaos.
In its August 16 ruling, the court had ordered the DSCL to install extra toll tax collection windows and deploy more personnel with hand-held collection machines to avoid congestion and chaos on the toll plaza. The court had also warned the DSCL that it would suspend collection of toll taxes at the plaza.
Gurgaon traffic police was also directed by the court to file a status report on the steps taken by the DSCL to resolve the issue. The court’s latest order came after the Gurgaon traffic police said in its status report that the private company lacked the required staff to deal with the chaos on expressway. The report also accused the company of being reluctant to spend money for the required expansion of infrastructure on the expressway.
The suspension order took effect from midnight yesterday.
The court also directed the National Highway Authority of India to discuss the issue with the state government and management of the DSCL to find some concrete solution.
The court also fixed 20th of September as the date for next hearing of the case.