BANGALORE: The Vacation Bench of the High Court on Thursday issued an emergent notice to Navayuga Devanahalli Tollway Pvt Ltd (NDTPL) and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in connection with a public interest petition challenging the hike in toll in force since May 3 near Kempegowda International Airport.
Justice N K Patil asked for objections to a PIL filed by advocate N P Amrutesh, contending that officials of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the NHAI were hand in glove with NDTPL and increased the toll four-fold.
Amrutesh sought directions to continue the old toll and to publicise the agreement between NDTPL and the ministry.
The court also issued a notice to NHAI based on another petition filed by advocate G R Mohan who contended that the NHAI had given a contract to NDTPL on April 30, 2010, to collect toll for 20 years.
He submitted that NDTPL started collecting toll just 15 days after the agreement and there are several irregularities in the agreement. The advocate sought directions to hand over the issue to the Central Bureau of Investigation or any other independent agency.
Plea on Sugarcane Dues Dismissed
The Vacation bench dismissed petitions filed by various sugar factories seeking to stay Deputy Commissioners’ (DC) notices to clear sugar growers’ dues.
Dismissing the petitions filed by Davangere Sugar factory and others, Justice N K Patil directed the petitioners to first approach the appropriate authority and the State government and then seek the court’s intervention.
The State government had issued directions to all the sugar factories to pay `2,500 for a tonne of sugarcane. Unhappy with the decision, factory owners refused to pay farmers. Then the government issued notices through DCs on May 12, warning factories of criminal charges if they didn’t pay up.