E-Paper
E-way firm starts collecting tax at two toll plazas
The confusion over the Punjab and Haryana High Court order cost the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway firm dearly.
The confusion over the Punjab and Haryana High Court order cost the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway firm dearly.
Though the court prohibited the concessionaire — Delhi Gurgaon Super Connectivity Limited (DGSCL) — from charging fee at only Delhi border toll plaza for 15 days from Tuesday midnight, the firm “mistakenly” allowed a free ride to all vehicles in the other two toll plazas too.
However, the firm soon realised its ‘mistake’ and started collecting fee from motorists at the Kherki Daula toll plaza and IGI airport plaza on Wednesday noon. This has triggered a huge pile-up at Kherki Daula.
“We had stopped taking fee from all the three toll plazas at Delhi-Gurgaon expressway from Tuesday midnight but our lawyer told us on Wednesday morning that the court has restrained the company to collect the fee only at Delhi border toll barrier, so we restored our exercise,” said DGSCL spokesperson. Assistant commissioner of police Ravinder Kumar Tomar too admitted that there was some confusion regarding the court's directions. "We are waiting for the order's copy, after that we will be in position to say something," he added.
On 27.7-km Delhi-Gurgaon expressway, DGSCL has installed three toll plazas: One at Kherki Daula (16 lanes), second at Delhi-Gurgaon border Sirhol (32 lanes) and the third at Loop towards Indira Gandhi International Airport with six lanes. The expressway generates about Rs 11 crore from Delhi border toll plaza a month while it nets Rs 6 crore from Kherki Daula. The monthly collection from IGI Airport loop is only Rs 6 lakh.
A division bench comprising Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar restrained DGSCL from collecting toll.
The bench expressed its displeasure at the concessionaire not being able to control traffic snarls at the busy toll plaza used by tens of thousands of vehicles every day.
