DND flyover remains toll-free as SC refuses to put on hold HC order

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to put on hold the Allahabad High Court's order to make the Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) Flyway toll-free with immediate effect.

The apex court, however, indicated that it would appoint an auditor or ask the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to audit the accounts of Noida Toll Bridge Company Limited (NTBCL).

The apex court will pass its order on the matter after Diwali vacation i.e. November 6.

Nearly 5,000 pass-holders were keeping a close eye on the apex court's order to get refund of the money they deposited with NTBCL towards toll for using the Delhi-Noida-Delhi flyway.

The NTBCL approached the apex court on Thursday a day after the Allahabad High Court declared the Noida DND route as toll free.

The flyover connects Delhi on the west bank of the Yamuna with Noida and East Delhi.

A division bench comprising Justices Arun Tandon and Sunita Agarwal passed the order while allowing a Public Interest Litigation filed by the Federation of Noida Residents' Welfare Association.

The PIL, which was filed in 2012, had challenged the "levy and collection of toll in the name of user fee by the Noida Toll Bridge Company".

Commuters travelling from Delhi to Noida or East Delhi have heaved a sigh of relief over not being told to pay Rs. 56 to and fro (Rs.28 each way) every day to facilitate a smooth entry and exit in the Delhi-NCR region.

Earlier in August, a group of protesters had demanded that the Rs. 28 toll be scrapped, alleging that the Noida Toll Bridge Company had already made profits, but were still charging toll.

The expressway, which opened in 2001, considerably reduces the travel time between Delhi and Noida. Commuters, however, often face huge traffic jams.

Nearly 1.5 lakh vehicles take the route daily.