HC asks NHAI, SDMC to settle dispute over grant of toll lanes

The Delhi High Court today asked NHAI and South Delhi Municipal Corporation to amicably settle their dispute over grant of toll lanes to the latter for levy of entry tax on commercial vehicles coming to capital through Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.
Yesterday, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) told Justice Manmohan Singh that four proposed toll lanes, out of 16, would be grossly inadequate to levy tax on commercial vehicles entering the national capital.
To which the NHAI had said it is not obligated in any way to hand over any infrastructure to Delhi government or SDMC and also that the law provides for smooth, unobstructed flow of traffic on highways and presence of toll plazas prevented the same.

However, during the hearing today, NHAI informed that they are ready to resolve the issue.
"NHAI is open for meetings in order to resolve the issue. The petitioner (SDMC) is also agreeable to sit with the senior official of NHAI for discussion in this regard.
"Let senior officers of SDMC meet the authorities of NHAI today itself and have the discussion, so that the issue in hand be discussed and resolved, if possible," the court said, while listing the matter February 26.

The court on February 19 had recorded a consent order in terms of a tripartite settlement among NHAI, Delhi-Gurgaon Super Connectivity Ltd (DGSCL) and lead financier IDFC and had said 12 of existing 16 toll plazas, causing huge traffic snarls, would be dismantled.

However, the SDMC claimed that while trucks and tankers can be identified and stopped for not paying the entry fee, smaller commercial vehicles, like BPO cabs, would be a difficult to catch hold of and sought use of all the 16 toll plazas on the highway instead of merely four.
SDMC, which was not a party to the settlement, had told the court that collection of entry tax from four lanes "is not possible" as it would be difficult to segregate and divert the commercial vehicles, like cabs, from other cars and would lead to clogging.