File Photo: Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court today came down heavily on the authorities for poor condition of a 26 km stretch between Raipur and Durg in Chhattisgarh and raised question on levy of toll tax from the commuters.
"Why should commuters pay the toll if the road is in bad shape and causing problems to them," asked a bench comprising Justices TS Thakur and Kurian Joseph.
It further said the common people should not be made to suffer for the wrongs committed by the government.
During the hearing, the bench said that overloaded trucks were being allowed to ply on roads and this was one of the main reasons for poor conditions. It said that proper action against such vehicles was the need of the hour.
The bench was hearing an appeal filed by DSC-Viacom Ventures Pvt Ltd against a Chhattisgarh High Court order that had gone against the firm.
The controversy related to the alleged failure of the company to repair the road between Raipur to Durg in the state that had led to issuance of direction against it by the High Court.
Recently, the apex court had appointed a three-member panel, comprising former Raipur District Judge Arvind Shrivastava as its Chairman, and Chief Engineer of National Highway Authority of India of the region along with Chief Engineer, Public Works Department of Chhatisgarh, as members.
It had asked the panel to inspect the road and submit a report as to its condition as also the nature and the extent of repairs required for it.
"The report shall also estimate the cost of the repairs to be carried out and whether any repair work has at all been carried out at any stage," the court had said.
Later, the panel filed the report in the court and said that the road in question required extensive repairs.
"The estimate prepared by the Committee suggests that the repairs may involve expenditure in a sum of Rs 19 crores or so," the court had noted.