The Supreme Court determined that NTBCL had already recouped both the construction costs of the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) flyway and a fair profit since its opening in 2001. In a significant relief for commuters, the court upheld the decision to prohibit toll collection on Friday, criticizing the Noida Authority for allowing the toll company to exploit commuters without limits.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan upheld the 2016 Allahabad High Court ruling that directed the Noida Toll Bridge Company Ltd (NTBCL) to stop collecting tolls from vehicles using the DND flyway, which links Delhi and Noida.
The Supreme Court observed that NTBCL had already recouped the construction costs and earned a reasonable profit since the expressway became operational in 2001.
Criticizing the Noida Authority, the bench highlighted that the agreement with NTBCL did not specify a time limit for toll collection, effectively enabling the concessionaire to impose charges indefinitely.
Justice Surya Kant, delivering the judgment, stated that the Noida Authority exceeded its powers by delegating authority to NTBCL for collecting or imposing fees. This arrangement, he noted, was inconsistent with the terms of the concessionaire agreement and placed an undue burden on commuters.
The bench further emphasized that the general public had already paid several hundred crores and found no justification for the continued collection of tolls or user fees.
Additionally, the court upheld the public interest litigation (PIL) filed in 2012 by the Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Associations, which contested NTBCL’s toll collection under the guise of a user fee. The bench affirmed that the PIL was legally valid and correctly decided by the high court.
Citing a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the Supreme Court noted that NTBCL had already earned sufficient profits from toll collection, further justifying the decision to halt any additional toll charges. Consequently, the court rejected NTBCL’s appeal against the High Court’s decision.
Since becoming operational in 2001, the DND flyway has played a key role in reducing travel time between Delhi and Noida, alleviating traffic congestion in the area. Before the High Court’s decision, commuters were charged ₹28 for a single trip and ₹56 for a round trip to use the expressway, which was promoted as a faster and more convenient route in the Delhi-NCR region.
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This ruling is expected to bring relief to thousands of daily commuters by removing a recurring financial burden and upholding fairness in public infrastructure projects.
