Supreme Court refuses to stay toll collection on DND

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to restrain Noida Toll Bridge Company Ltd (NTBCL) from collecting toll on the DND flyway connecting Noida and Delhi and asked the Allahabad high court to expeditiously decide the plea of residents associations against levy of the toll.

“We will request the High Court to dispose of the PIL in three months and if that is not possible, then your (petitioner Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Association) plea for interim relief (of restraining toll operator from collecting toll) will be considered,” a bench comprising Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud said.

The Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Association (FNRWA) through its president N.P. Singh has moved the apex court challenging the high court order by which it had refused to restrain toll operator NTBCL from collecting the toll.

The FNRWA has also alleged that the High Court did not decide its PIL filed in 2012, despite the fact that it was listed for hearing on 70 occasions.

The plea, filed through advocate Ranjit Saxena, said that various clauses of the concessionaire agreement between the Noida authority and NTBCL were totally in favour of the toll collecting firm which has already earned nearly four times of their total project cost.

Besides the NTBCL, the plea had made various entities including New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, Union ministry of road transport and highways, public works department and the Uttar Pradesh government as parties.

“The present SLP has been preferred against the interim impugned judgment and order dated January 31, 2013 passed by the high court of judicature at Allahabad in PIL vide which the high court did not consider the Application for stay...,” the plea said.