The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has recovered Rs. 1.82 crore from Konark Infrastructure Ltd. for collecting excess toll fee from commuters at the toll plaza at Hattargi in Belagavi district on Pune-Bengaluru NH4.
However, the company has approached the administrative tribunal questioning the penalty.
It started when Prashant A. Burge, president of Chikkodi Taluk RTI Activists Association, contacted the NHAI project implementation office at Dharwad and sought details under the RTI Act about the alleged excess collection of the toll fee from commuters, mainly from car, jeep, van and other light motor vehicles by the toll operator.
He had alleged that Rs.15.95 lakh was collected by overcharging commuters between November 2012 and March 2013. The NHAI headquarters recovered the penalty along with interest and also the excess fee collected from the commuters in January 2014 last year.
Official sources in NHAI told The Hindu that the toll operator was collecting Rs. 5 in excess. The toll operator had also refunded the excess fee it collected from the commuters.
Mr. Burge said the Central Information Commissioner Yashovardhan Azad had acknowledged his appreciation for raising ‘a very pertinent and an important issue.
Mr. Burge said a fresh application had been filed with the NHAI, Dharwad, seeking information under the RTI Act about toll operators collecting excess fee at the toll plazas along the NH4 at Kognoli at Kanataka-Maharashtra border, Hire Bagewadi (both) in Belagavi district and Bankapur in Haveri distric from various vehicles between 2011 and 2013.
Operator was collecting Rs. 5
in excess: NHAI
