By IANS
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Wednesday issued notices to two government agencies on a petition seeking exemption from toll tax on the New Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway for daily commuters.
Chief Justice M.K. Sharma and Justice Reva Khetarpal asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to file their responses by Feb 20, the next date of hearing.
Vivek Bharat Ram last month filed a public interest litigation (PIL) contending that paying the toll charge every day would be a financial burden for those who commute between Delhi and its suburb daily.
Seeking the court’s intervention, the petitioner’s counsel Suchit Kumar Sahijpal said the government should either exempt the daily commuters from paying the toll or construct alternative roads for them.
The much-delayed Rs.10 billion, 27.7-km expressway was thrown open Jan 23, reducing the travel time of tens of thousands of commuters and international air passengers.
Going a long way in improving road connectivity and decongesting traffic, the expressway have helped commuters cut short their travel time at least one hour on an average, according to many of them.
Vehicle users have to pay a toll for using the expressway, which is collected at three points, near the Indira Gandhi International Airport, the Delhi-Gurgaon Border and the 42nd Milestone.