DND flyway to be toll free, declares Allahabad High Court

In a major relief for commuters in Delhi and outskirts, Allahabad High Court on Tuesday declared the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) flyway toll-free.

New Delhi, Oct 26: In a major relief for commuters in Delhi and outskirts, Allahabad High Court on Wednesday declared the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) flyway toll-free. The Allahabad High Court said the order on DND flyway is applicable with immediate effect. Thousands of commuters daily use DND flyways which connects Delhi on the west bank of the Yamuna with Noida and East Delhi.

There had been several protests seeking scrapping of the Rs 28 toll on the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) flyway. The demand was raised following allegations that the operator had already made the profit. Notably, Allahabad High Court’s order on the same day when DND Director Monisha Macedo claimed the contract for operating the DND flyway could be extended for two more years. The operator had contract for collecting tolls till 2031.

The PIL, filed four years ago, sought to remove toll collection on the Flyway. According to N.P.Singh, President of FONRWA: “This is a victory of the people. The toll shouldn’t have been collected.” He said the federation had filed the PIL in 2012. “We may even file a caveat with the Supreme Court tomorrow,” Singh told IANS anticipating that the Noida Toll Bridge Company (NTBCL) may move the apex court. (ALSO READ: Cab drivers block traffic at DND Flyway)

The NTBCL has been promoted by Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to develop construct, operate and maintain the DND Flyway on a “Build Own Operate Transfer” (BOOT) basis till 2031. The company said it will issue a reaction after looking at the judgement. The DND Flyway is the shortest route between Noida and Delhi, the other routes being via the Nizamuddin Bridge and Okhla Barrage. The eight-lane expressway is 9.2 km-long. The project was commissioned on February 7, 2001.