Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court (HC) yesterday took suo motu cognisance of news reports about the inconvenience caused to motorists on the first day of the toll collection on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway (NH 275). The Court directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to respond to these issues within three weeks.
A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Prasanna B. Varale and Justice Ashok S. Kinagi, sought a response from NHAI on various issues faced by motorists, as reported in newspapers that highlighted issues raised by commuters and the situation at the toll booths.
The cognisance of issues was taken during the hearing of a PIL, filed in 2022 on lack of proper signage and safety measures in the ongoing work of widening the Highway stretch between Bengaluru and Kanakapura.
The Bench noted that newspaper reports on the Expressway toll collection row have pointed out issues like the commencement of toll collection without the completion of the entire construction work.
It also took to account the improper functioning of boom barriers causing damages to vehicles at toll booths, and technical glitches in automatic FasTag scanners forcing the toll gate staff to use manual scanners.
“The grievance mentioned in the news items is that when the work is still not complete, collection of levy or toll is unjustified. It is also stated that due to heavy technical glitches, barriers are not properly functioning and this faulty functioning or mechanism resulted in causing damage to the vehicles,” the Bench said.
The Bench, citing news reports, noted that the motorists were made to wait in long queues over technical glitches in FasTag identification. The Bench also cited reports and said all these resulted in heavy congestion of vehicles and would force motorists to use the service road resulting in them spending more time for travel.
Referring to the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, the Court said the rules mandate various prerequisites, including issuing of a public notice, before the commencement of toll collection. But it appears that this has not been done before commencement of toll collection. Hence, all issues related to toll collection should be considered in the public interest, the Bench said and adjourned further hearing till April 11.
Karnataka is riddled with petty politics and small minded people. Development of basic infrastructure of this scale and magnitude in densely populated, built up towns and high land value is a formidable challenge leave alone the technical complexities associated with it. As if that is not enough, there are these huge arm chair experts who need five star facilities from day one since they have suddenly woken up from their slumber of 70 years ie just after the day the expressway was inaugurated.
Karnataka is way way behind as regards the expressway developments. Just look at the development happening in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra etc. Development in Karnataka pales in comparison. Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway is just a baby step in infrastructure development. What are these detractors trying to achieve by way of PIL on the first ever attempt to build and dedicate an expressway for one of the busiest and an economic corridor with a huge potential. Prevent and block any investor from ever trying to build another good piece of infrastructure, keep people poor for ever, give hand outs on the day prior to the election and buy the votes and indulge in mismanagement and malpractices?
Of the total investment of Rs 9000 crores and more, at least Rs 5000 crores is from private investors. They too would have borrowed money from lenders with a liability for repaying the principal with interest. They have already sustained the investment for over 5 years including major issues such as pandemic (Covid) and floods and litigations which has further delayed the project. On the top of it, the operators are responsible for maintenance, upkeep and operation of the expressway which has a huge cost component.
OK. If the boom gates have malfunctioned and damaged the vehicles, investigate why such a thing has occurred. People may need education as to how a boom gate works. Let them know as to why the boom gates do not allow two vehicles to pass at the same time. People can not sneak their way through. What is the duration of the time gap required between the two vehicles. The gates are optimised just for one vehicle to pass at one time in an orderly manner. People need a bit of patience there.
Letting people save fuel and time by utilising the expressway and at the same time allowing the investors to get some return on their capital is a win-win and paves way for future growth and sustained development. Otherwise how will we develop critical corridors such as the Bengaluru Mangaluru, Kushalanagara-Mangaluru economic routes? Who will come forward? These projects are only feasible in a PPP mode. You can not expect the state PWD to build such mega projects. Neither do we have the man power nor the technology nor the resources.
It is appalling that the only thing our people can understand is the freebies. There are no free lunches unless we are willing to go the way of our neighbours Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The reality will strike sooner than later. Is it the garden path on which these protestors, detractors and PIL proponents are trying to lead the people of Karnataka. It is shocking to say the least.
Great points. One thing is UP/Maharastra state governments are building expressway with their own initiatives. But all currently built/planned expressways in Karnataka are all initiatives of central govt. Karnataka needs to think like UP/Maharastra and start building expressways. Otherwise Karnataka will be left behind
Your r right sir,The project is PPP model the invester has to repay the money borrowed from Banks.We are not against toll collection but before the toll collection the builders responsibility of providing propers service roads,Other amenities like rest rooms emergency evacuation facility has to be putui place.Do bot accuse the people of Karanataka.just for the sake of abusing.
The NHAI should have taken n verified all the conditions envisaged in the agreement with the Builder.
This road is inaugurated in a hurry to reap the political dividends by the ruling party.They very well know the u cannot conduct a grand road show in the guise of Road inauguration after the code of conduct comes into force.
Regarding the developments in UP tha state which never obey the law of land gets major share of central schemes for the sole reason of sheer size of MP which sends to Delhi which determines which party will rule the country.
U may not be knowing 75/% railway passeger does not travel with a valid ticket.
Regarding awarding of prjocets by union Govt.the ability of our MPs will determine in spite of Second highest tax payer we recieve peanut on return.
Hey @Lakshman Prasad
Your lengthy bull shit assumes that India is a developed country. It is an overpopulated third world dump in which even thousands of Indian students pay the people smugglers money to smuggle them in dinghies from France to England , so that they can claim asylum in England, to get the student loans and living costs for their study! Any lies will suit them to escape India. That is the reputation India has.
Your argument sounds nonsensical as states like UP are massively overpopulated dirty and its Highways reflect the pathetic state of this state.
You do not get German quality Autobahns as a third world country. Technology? What technology? over 500 million Indians cannot read or write and they do not have clean drinking water.
Modi shamelessly used the Western countries’ ban on Russian oil and gas , and has imported a large number of them. But, when the Russia-Ukraine war comes to an end, all of those oil and gas will be imported by Germany alone, and India with no oil reserves of any significance will struggle, and the car -loving Indians will have to pay a lot get litres of oil-of course they will seek bribes to get the get the money.
It does not matter where these Highways are in India-they are in India the third world country, with corruption, poor quality material and poor civil engineering projects. This is India, after 75v years of independence with no moral values. Jai Hind!!
This Tipu Highway is doomed.
Toll collection is correct to build infrastructure. But Toll collection should be postponed untill,
1.) Expressway has proper Service Roads, or alternate roads which can be taken by people not wanting to pay Toll.
2.) Correct pricing structure is put for People using Expressway for part of the way only.
3.) Toilets, and rest facilities are constructed at Regular intervals.
4.) Tow vehicles and Emergency Support vehicles are available on the Road.
5.) Identity passes are issued for Locals or until locals are allowed to use Local Aadhar card for using Toll road.
Who is this Prasad? Another BJP brainwashed commoner who became complete fool. Even if they injure him, he will not come out of India growing story, while the stark reality is no changes in the daily life except the increase in cost of living, everywhere filthy garbage, no proper drinking water, overflowing drainages, polluted lakes, bad and dangerous roads after paying lakhs as road tax! Now pay tax in the form of toll on every road trip to private indefinitely, no sign of handing over the road back to public as per BOT model, even after decades! But keep increasing the toll fees! Fantastic! UP/Gujarat growth is simply by stolen money from South India.
Project team, did you ever think of these before starting to collect toll
1. Person travelling from blore to towns like ramnagar, chenn patna, maddur, mandya, will they have to pay toll only for distance they are travelling in express highway or they have to pay the toll amounting to entire 118 km, did you install boards or signs indicating this
2. In same lines of NICE ROAD, are there entry and exit toll gates fro.m these towns?
3. What was the necessity to collect tolls in such a hurry which brought shame and chaos to. The entire project. Even a common man before moving into his own house makes sure the basic facilities are completed. You are all engineers and managing huge projects, didn’t you guys think of all these repercussions before collecting toll, where were your brains? Really in the head or somewhere else
3. This project was a long awaited one which was supposed to be pride for we people of Mysore and Bangalore. Instead your poor planning and greed to make money has put us on Shame chaos and confusion, better handover the project to someone who can think like a common man, or at least someone who knows how to close a huge project
Hello posters @Arun and Ayan
Where were you living all these years? This Highway, correctly called |Tipu Highway, is used to milk money from you dimwits. You Indians love cars, and Modi government has rightly decided to exploit you.
The tripling of roail trach between Mysore and Banaglore and running trains with different stops would have been less expensive and more useful.
You need to chase your MP Simha, who seem to have disappeared as these issues surface!! Typical BJP politician. Not that Congress is any better. This is thrid world dump India.
God Save us!!!!!
Seeing the comments nobody cares for each of us(citizens), guys common don’t follow politicians, we have right to get basic facilities and they are diverting people and playing blame game.
No matter what WE HAVE TO FIGHT FOR OUR BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE. A problem is a problem regardless who has created it, it has to be rectified immediately irrespective of any political parties.