Karnataka HC orders interim stay on toll collection on Bengaluru-Doddaballapura Road

Civic

The stay order was based on two PILs which argued that users were made to pay toll charges on the highway even though the work was not finished.

TNM Staff

In a relief to road users on the Bengaluru-Doddaballapura Road and residents of Doddaballapur, the Karnataka High Court has put a stay on the collection of till charges on the incomplete highway. In its interim stay order, the High Court has categorically directed the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDCL), which comes under the Public Works Department,  Aarvee Associates Architects Engineers Consultants Pvt. Ltd. (company executing project), and Yelahanka AP Boarder Toll Way Pvt. Ltd, not to collect toll until further orders. The HC stay order on Monday came as the state government was not able to provide full details of the completed works when the permission for collecting toll was granted last year based on the claim that 75% of the work was completed, reported The Hindu.  According to reports, the division bench of Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice M Nagaprasanna, gave this interim order while hearing two public interest litigations on the matter. The petitioners, social activist S Naveen Kumar and advocate G Venkatesh, claim that only 50% of the work was completed, the Times of India reported. Naveen argued in court that collection of toll without the completion of road works was not only illegal but also unconstitutional, added the TOI report. The petitioners contended that 75% of the works were not completed as claimed by the private company (the concessionaire) building the road in its provisional certificate. Based on the PILs, the HC had earlier asked the state government to inquire into the matter. The state government was also asked to explain why permission was granted by the government to allow the private company to collect toll without proper assessment. Replying to this, the government had submitted detailed assessment by engineering consultants but the HC was not satisfied. The government has further asked the state government to independently verify the petitioner’s claim. The state government incidentally failed to reply to the HC’s queries on Monday.

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