Jammu, Feb 26 – In a significant decision benefiting commuters, including pilgrims traveling to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has directed the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to reduce excessive toll charges across the Union Territory within four months.
The court further mandated that toll fees at Lakhanpur and Bann plazas be slashed to 20% of the previous rates (before January 26, 2024) until the national highway from Lakhanpur to Udhampur is fully operational.
Key Court Directives
- Reduction of Toll Fees: The High Court ruled that existing toll charges are exorbitant and must be revised to ensure fairness for the public. It emphasized that toll collection should not be a mechanism for revenue generation but a means to maintain road infrastructure.
- Lakhanpur & Bann Toll Plazas: The court ordered that these toll plazas must charge only 20% of previous rates until the Lakhanpur-Udhampur highway is completely functional. Full toll charges can be reinstated only after an independent surveyor certifies the highway’s completion.
- Toll Plaza Regulations: The court barred the establishment of toll plazas within 60 kilometers of each other on National Highway 44. Any toll plazas violating this rule must be removed within two months.
- Withdrawal of Redistribution Order: The respondents, including NHAI, the Jammu and Kashmir government, and the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, were instructed to withdraw within a week any orders reallocating toll charges between Lakhanpur and Bann after the closure of Thandi Khui toll plaza.
- Hiring Restrictions at Toll Plazas: The court prohibited the employment of individuals with a criminal background at toll plazas. Staff deployment must occur only after police verification, with station house officers (SHOs) held accountable for any violations.
Court’s Strong Remarks on Toll Fee Practices
A division bench of Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice MA Chowdhary issued the ruling while hearing a PIL seeking toll exemptions along the Jammu-Pathankot Highway until the completion of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway.The court criticized the "mushrooming of toll plazas" in Jammu and Kashmir, stating that their purpose seemed to be solely "minting money from the public." It pointed out that both NHAI and private contractors were accumulating crores in revenue, making toll rates unfairly high.
Implementation Timeline
- Toll fees must be revised within four months.
- Lakhanpur and Bann toll charges must be slashed immediately to 20% of the pre-2024 rates.
- Any toll plazas within 60 km of each other must be removed within two months.
- Orders redistributing toll collections must be withdrawn within a week.
