Delhi-Gurgaon toll plaza row: HC to record settlement tomorrow

The Delhi High Court today said it would record tomorrow the consent order in terms of the tripartite settlement arrived at among NHAI, Delhi-Gurgaon Super Connectivity Ltd (DGSCL) and lead financier IDFC on the dispute over toll plazas at Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.
A bench of Justice Manmohan Singh has fixed a batch of cases for hearing and disposal tomorrow.
The resolution of the dispute would pave the way for removal of the toll plaza at Sirhaul on the expressway.
Meanwhile, MCD and SMS Infrastructure Limited, which has been awarded a contract for three years by the civic agency to collect toll on entry points to Delhi, sought an intervention from the court saying their right to collect tax be protected as all toll plazas at Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway will go in terms of the settlement.

The plea was opposed by senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
"The toll plazas cannot be allowed to remain there. We cannot allow the obstruction and the same chaos on the highway," he said.

"Then what about the rights of MCD and the company which has been awarded the contract to collect toll on behalf of the civic agency?," the counsel for MCD said.
The counsel for SMS Infrastructure Limited said it would be difficult for the company to fulfill its liability to pay to MCD as there will be no collection of toll on the highway.

Earlier, the lawyers appearing for NHAI, Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) and DGSCL, had told the court that the consent order was being finalized by them and would be submitted today.
The court had on February 12 granted a last opportunity to the parties to settle the dispute.
Besides IDFC and NHAI, MCD and Haryana have also joined the case as parties.
NHAI and DGSCL have been embroiled in a bitter legal battle ever since the former issued a termination notice to the latter over frequent complaints of inordinate delays at the toll plaza.