SC agrees to hear plea on DND toll tax

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea of Noida Toll Bridge Company Limited challenging Allahabad High Court’s order asking it to stop collecting toll from commuters plying on the DND flyway connecting Delhi and neighbouring Noida.

An Apex Court bench comprising justices A R Dave, R K Agrawal and A M Khanwilkar agreed to hear the appeal of the toll company after senior advocate Shyam Divan sought an urgent hearing of the matter.

The high court on Wednesday had brought cheers to millions of commuters in the NCR region ruling that there will be no toll collected henceforth from those using the 9.2 km-long, eight-lane DND flyway. The order was passed as the high court allowed a PIL by the Federation of Noida Residents’ Welfare Association. 

The PIL had challenged the “levy and collection of toll in the name of user fee by Noida Toll Bridge Company”. In an over 100-page judgement, the High Court had held, “the user fee which is being levied/realised is not supported by the legal provisions relied upon by the Concessionaire (Noida Toll Bridge Company), Infrastructure Leaning and Financial Services (promoter and developer of the project) and the Noida Authority.”