Thursday, November 5, 2009

PIL petition challenges toll collection - On Hindu Apr 12, 2009

A public interest litigation petition has challenged the collection of toll on NH-5 at Vijayanallur near Madhavaram here without completing the six laning of the highway, including the Karanodai bridge.

In the petition, ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy of T. Nagar said the NH-5 was from Chennai to Kolkata. Though it started at Mint here, it took real shape at Madhavaram under the Golden Quadrilateral project. There was a proposal to six-lane the highway.

The petitioner said the six-lane work had not even started. The bridge across the Kortalaiyar had not been fully reconstructed. Because of the toll collection, the public suffered. As toll was being collected, facilities such as toilets, pedestrian underpass, bye-lanes and service roads ought to have been provided. But they were totally lacking at Vijayanallur toll plaza.

Mr. Ramaswamy prayed the Madras High Court to issue a writ calling for the records pertaining to the notification of the Ministry of Shipping and Road Transport and Highways of February 2009 awarding rights to L and T Chennai Tada Tollway Ltd to collect toll and quash the same as illegal. He also sought a direction to authorities not to put up toll plaza in the Chennai-Tada section without completing the six-lane road.

When the matter came up before the First Bench comprising Chief Justice H.L. Gokhale and Justice F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla on Thursday, P.Wilson, appearing for the National Highways Authority of India, said the contractor was collecting the toll as per the official notification.

There was no illegality in the collection.

The Bench posted the matter for April 16 to enable the NHAI counsel to file a counter.

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