TNR News Network
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has sought a detailed reply from the state government on a petition questioning its authority to collect entry fee from vehicles plying on national highways.
The direction came during the hearing of a petition that challenges the legality of toll collection at several state-operated barriers located on central government-controlled stretches.
A division bench of Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Jiya Lal Bhardwaj issued the notice after the government requested additional time to file its response. The court accepted the plea and fixed the next hearing for March 7.
According to petitioner Utansh Monga, the state continues to enforce tolls under the Himachal Pradesh Tolls Act, 1975, at multiple points on national highways despite having no statutory authority to do so. He argued that national highways fall exclusively under the Union government’s jurisdiction, making the state’s toll mechanism unconstitutional and contrary to Articles 246 and 254 of the Constitution.
Monga’s petition claims that the toll collection is causing daily inconvenience and financial burden to commuters, transporters and service users. He has sought the complete abolition of toll collection at Parwanoo, Garmora, Tunuhatti, Kala Amb, Kandwal, Baddi and Mehatpur barriers.
The plea also challenges toll collection at the Gwalathai barrier located on the Bhakra-Nangal road, which is maintained by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). The petitioner contends that the state has no authority to levy toll on this road either and has urged the court to order its removal.
The matter will now come up for further hearing in March, when the state government is expected to clarify its position on the legal framework governing tolls on national highway stretches within Himachal Pradesh.
