Apex Court asks CAG to audit Noida Toll Bridge Company

NEW DELHI: In a major relief to lakhs of commuters using the DND flyway, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to resume the toll tax on DND flyway for now. The Apex Court asked the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to file its audit report on the Noida toll issue within eight weeks.

The court said that it will get the profit account of DND toll company audited either by CAG or by an independent auditor to find whether the profit recovered was adequate. The flyover connects Delhi on the west bank of Yamuna with Noida and East Delhi.

A division Bench comprising Justices Arun Tandon and Sunita Agarwal passed the order while allowing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Federation of Noida Residents’ Welfare Association.

The PIL, which was filed in 2012, had challenged the “levy and collection of toll in the name of user fee by the Noida Toll Bridge Company”.

Commuters travelling from Delhi to Noida or East Delhi have heaved a sigh of relief over not being asked to pay Rs 56 for a to and fro ride (Rs 28 each way) everyday to enjoy a smooth entry and exit in the Delhi-ncr region.

Earlier, the Noida Toll Bridge Company Limited (NBTCL) had filed a plea in the Apex Court against the Allahabad High Court’s order, asking it to stop collecting toll from commuters plying on the DND flyway connecting Delhi and neighbouring Noida.

A Bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur, Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice L Nageswara Rao had on November 11 asked the CAG to verify the total cost of the Noida toll project and whether the toll-collection company, NBTCL, has recovered its flyway cost as provided in the agreement or not.