BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Monday restrained authorities from collecting toll from vehicles plying on Bengaluru-Doddaballapura state highway.
The division bench of Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the interim order restraining Aarvee Associates Architects Engineers Consultants Private Limited from collecting toll after hearing two separate public interest litigations.
One of the petitioners contended that only 40 to 50 percent of work taken up for improving the highway, was completed. About 80,000 vehicles are plying every day on the highway. “Toll is being collected even before the completion of the work for the past 15 months,” he said. He explained that collecting toll before completion of full work is illegal, as per the agreement entered into by the consultants with the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL). “Even the BMTC is collecting additional charges from passengers towards payment of toll for the buses using this highway,” he claimed.
The court noted that the state government has failed to certify whether 75 percent of the work of the highway has been completed or not, despite a direction being issued on November 19. This direction was issued after an independent engineering consultant submitted the report stating that more than 80 percent of the work has been completed.