The DND flyway, connecting Delhi and neighbouring Noida, will continue to be toll-free as Supreme Court today refused to stay the Allahabad High Court verdict, stopping Noida Toll Bridge Company Ltd (NTBCL) — the concessionaire for the flyway — from levying cess.
A double bench, comprising Justice Arun Tandon and Justice Sunita Agarwal, passed the judgement. The apex court said the matter will be heard again in July.
After Allahabad High Court in 2016 made the DND flyway toll-free, NTBCL filed a plea in the Supreme Court against the high court's order.
The DND Flyway witnessed several protests and demonstrations calling for the discontinuation of the toll fee — Rs 25 for private cars and autos, Rs 12 for two-wheelers. According to allegations, NTBCL had already made significant profits from maintaining the 9.2 km stretch. Records say DND's total construction cost totalled Rs 407 crore, and the firm had already made more than Rs 2,000 crore in toll collection since the flyway’s inauguration in 2001.
Federation of Noida RWAs (FONRWA) had filed a PIL in Allahabad High Court on November 16, 2012, requesting the scrapping of DND toll.