Supreme Court refuses to stay Allahabad HC order of making DND fly-way toll-free

November 4, 2016

The Supreme Court has refused to stay the Allahabad High Court order which made DND (Delhi-Noida-Direct) toll free. The apex court said no toll should be collected until further orders.

Following a public litigation interest (PIL) filed by Federation of Noida Residents’ Welfare Association in 2012, the Allahabad High Court, last week, ruled that no user fee can be collected by the private concessionaire from the commuters of the 9.2 km-long, eight-way flyover that connects New Delhi, the capital city of India, to Noida and its neighbourhood. The PIL had challenged the levy and collection of toll by Noida Toll Bridge Company any further as it argued the company has already made sufficient profit.

The Noida Toll Bridge Company Ltd – which operates the toll way – filed a plea in the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court’s order. Noida Toll Bridge Company had asked the apex court to get its accounts audited by CAG. The court said the accounts of DND toll company will be audited either by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) or by an independent auditor to find whether the profit recovered was adequate.

The Supreme Court will pass an order on November 7 about auditing the account and till the audit report is submitted, there will be no toll on the expressway, an SC bench comprising justices AR Dave, RK Agrawal and AM Khanwilkar said. The toll for the fly-way, opened in February 2001, was Rs 8 initially but it was gradually hiked to Rs 28 per trip. About 1.5 lakh vehicles use the DND fly-way on a weekday.