NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court will pass its order to end the Gurgaon expressway impasse on Wednesday.

A draft consent proposal requesting a ruling to remove the toll plaza on the Delhi border was submitted to the high court on Tuesday by the National Highways Authority of India, expressway operator Delhi Gurgaon Super Connectivity Ltd (DGSCL) and Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), the project’s lead banker.

After hearing the parties, Justice Manmohan Singh said he would record the consent order on Wednesday in terms of the settlement agreed among NHAI, DGSCL and IDFC. Justice Singh has scheduled a few cases for disposal on Wednesday. Once the consent order is passed, it will pave the way for removal of the toll plaza.

But the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and its contractor SMS Infrastructure want to collect toll at all entry points and sought an intervention from the court, saying their right to collect tax should be protected since all toll booths at the Delhi border will be removed due to the terms of the settlement.

Counsels for the MCD and its contractor submitted before the court that all commercial vehicles entering Delhi must be tolled according to a Supreme Court order. The counsel said all the 16 toll gates on the Gurgaon-Delhi carriageway should remain to ensure there is no revenue loss for the South Delhi municipal body.

Though counsels for the NHAI, IDFC and DGSCL said that the municipal body was free to collect toll, they added that the parties were not obliged to provide infrastructure to the corporation for collecting entry tax. They added that the municipal body could collect entry tax on this stretch as it is done on NH-1 and NH-24.

The NHAI counsel also submitted before the court that a detailed plan was discussed

with the commissioner of the south Delhi municipal body, where it was agreed that four lanes would be kept for collecting entry tax. Responding to the likelihood of commercial vehicles escaping paying the tax by avoiding these lanes, the NHAI counsel said the police can catch such violators and penalize them.

He added that if the 16 toll gates are allowed to be on the expressway then the entire exercise of dismantling the toll plaza has no meaning. He also objected to the MCD’s proposal that the boom barriers will fall only when there is a commercial vehicle at the toll gates.

The counsels for NHAI and IDFC also objected to their counterparts’ argument to set up a new plaza on the expressway to collect entry tax.

Last-Minutes Hitches

Teething disputes between e-way operator DGSCL and lead banker IDFC over sharing of liabilities once toll plaza is removed

MCD wants toll booths to remain on Gurgaon-Delhi carriageway for collection of entry tax

Haryana govt says Kherki Dhaula toll plaza will see major traffic jams since it cannot be expanded

Haryana govt also demands shifting Kherki Dhaula toll plaza beyond Manesar, to Bilaspur

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