Himachal Pradesh high court on Thursday directed the central and state governments besides the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to file reply in the matter related to collection of fee at Sanwara toll plaza in Solan. The court also directed that the prayer for interim relief will be considered after the reply is filed by the respondents.
A division bench comprising Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua passed these orders on a public interest litigation, wherein the petitioner has alleged that the toll plaza at Sanwara is illegal and contrary to the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, which provide that no toll plaza can be established in the same section within a distance of 60km, whereas other toll plazas are situated at Chandimandir in Panchkula and Parwanoo in Solan, which are within 60km range from Sanwara plaza.
He has also challenged the completion certificate issued to GR Infra Projects by the NHAI and has alleged that major part of the construction work of flyover and its underpass at Kumarhatti, Saproon and near Timber Trail Resort in Parwanoo were not complete and the toll was being levied before completion of work.
He has also claimed that the toll road has not been maintained properly and part of the stretch is accident prone, as there is no proper barricading of the roads which join the toll road from the towns and villages along the national highway.
{{/usCountry}}He has also claimed that the toll road has not been maintained properly and part of the stretch is accident prone, as there is no proper barricading of the roads which join the toll road from the towns and villages along the national highway.
{{/usCountry}}The petitioner has also prayed to quash the contract, construction, completion certificate issued to GR Infra and scrap the notification fixing the toll charges payable by the vehicles crossing the Sanwara toll plaza.
The court in its previous hearing had stayed the collection of toll tax at the Sanwara plaza till June 2.