HC slashes Pathankot-Udhampur Highway toll to 20% over poor road condition

Srinagar, Feb 26: The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has ordered a reduction in toll fees at two plazas along the National Highway-44 (NH-44) from Pathankot to Udhampur.

The court ruled that only 20 percent of the toll fee should be collected until the completion of the construction work under the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway project.

A news report carried by news agency, Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that the bench comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice MA Choudhary stated that “toll fees should not be collected from commuters if the highway is in poor condition due to ongoing construction.”

The court said that tolls are intended to compensate users for smooth, well-maintained infrastructure, but the current state of the highway, marked by diversions and potholes, fails to provide such facilities to travelers. “It is unfair to continue charging tolls when the road is in a deteriorated condition,” the court said.

The decision came in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Sugandha Sawhney, who sought exemption from toll taxes at Lakhanpur, Thandi Khui, and Bann toll plazas on NH-44.

The highway is currently undergoing construction for the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway project. The plea highlighted the inconvenience caused to the public due to the construction work, which has reduced the four-lane highway to a single lane in many areas.