CHANDIGARH: As compared to earlier years, the road transport system continues to witness improvisation as the government is putting its best to construct new roads across the country. In exchange, the companies which were given tenders to construct these new roads, flyovers, and highways, are allowed to charge toll tax from the vehicles going through these ways for a certain period. In continuation to this, word of broadening of National Highway 1 from Panipat to Jalandhar was allotted to a company and part from this, what also came to surface is that a penalty of Rs 415.65 crore was imposed on the concerned company for the delay in broadening of highway along with other works of the highway by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). Prior to this, a deadline was fixed for the completion of work and according to the guidelines, in case a company failed to complete work within the stipulated time, then it would have to face a penalty.
Besides, an amount of Rs 4700 crore was charged from three tolls located at Panipat-Jalandhar NH1 which were set up as a part of the project, and as many as 3 tolls namely Gharaunda, Shambhu border, and Ladowala have been set on National Highway 1 from Panipat to Jalandhar. The data revealed that after these tolls came into existence, an amount of nearly Rs 4700 crore has been charged from 2009-10 to till now.
An RTI filed by Sandeep Rathi, a resident of district Panipat showed that Gharaunda toll which falls in district Karnal emerges on top in terms of toll tax charged from the vehicles, and about an amount of Rs 2214 crore has been charged during the above mentioned period which is much higher as compared to rest to tolls. Following the above, Ladowal till which falls in Punjab occurs in the second position with an amount of Rs 1537.65 crore. Likewise, the Shambhoo toll which falls on the Haryana-Punjab border in Ambala district exists in third place with an amount of Rs 891 crores which was charged as toll tax.
It is worth mentioning that a total amount of Rs 5572 was fixed as the revised budget for the widening along with work of National Highway 1 from Panipat to Jalandhar. The information also portrayed that initially, the estimated cost for the word was 2747.50 crore while the concerned company demanded an estimated amount of Rs 4518 crore. According to CDR, a revised amount of Rs of 5572.50 crore was fixed for the work.