With citizens, lawyers and even politicians joining the clamour for the closure of Khed-Shivapur toll plaza on the long-pending Pune-Satara national highway, a Thane-based lawyer-activist Praveen Wategaonkar, along with Sanjay Shirodkar, a Pune-based activist, have filed a complaint with the CBI against P.S. Toll Road Private Ltd — a special purpose vehicle promoted by Reliance Infrastructure.
The complainants have alleged that while the Pune-Satara highway, work on which commenced in 2010, is nowhere near completion, P.S. Toll Road has illegally collected toll revenue of nearly ₹1780 crore in the past nine years.
In their complaint filed on Wednesday, Mr. Wategaonkar and Mr. Shirodkar have also named the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) along with other entities.
“We have lodged a complaint under Sections 405, 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant or banker), 420 (cheating) to be read with sections 34, 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act,” said Mr. Wategaonkar, and added that their 100-page complaint was based on a careful study of bid documents, CAG reports and other documents obtained under Right To Information (RTI) Act.
He said as per their contract, P.S. Toll Road was to complete the six-lane development of the 140 km Pune-Satara highway within 30 months beginning October 2010.
“The six-laning of the highway was to have finished by March 31, 2013. Yet, it has dragged on for nine years,” said Mr. Wategaonkar.
The complaint says that on December 16, 2013, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued amended rules pertaining to the levy of toll on national highways which prohibited collection of toll where six-laning process had been delayed beyond scheduled completion dates.
“P.S. Toll Road had no authority to collect toll since 2014 without completing the six-laning process. So, the extensions granted by the NHAI to the construction schedule are in violation of bidding terms,” Mr. Wategaonkar said.
The abysmal condition of the Pune-Satara road with its incomplete bridges, pot holes and congestion points have left users harried, often doubling their commute time.
An online petition which began late last year has had little, if any, effect on the NHAI.
Political parties like the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), with its agitation against illicit toll collection, too have stepped into the fray while Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule has demanded action. Earlier this month, the Pune District Collector had written to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), urging the stoppage of toll collection at the Khed-Sivapur toll plaza.
RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar said that this particular toll plaza on the Pune-Satara highway stretch was a classic case of holding passengers ‘captive’ by deliberately delaying completion of the project.
“This [Pune-Satara toll] case is a peculiarity in Maharashtra where toll is being collected despite the non-completion of a service road. Given the amount of money involved, any immediate crackdown on this staggering corruption appears unlikely,” Mr. Kumbhar said.
Activist Vivek Velankar of the Sajag Nagrik Manch alleged that the NHAI had no control whatsoever over road contractors, resulting in commuters being the ultimate sufferers.
“It appears that the incomplete Pune-Satara highway stretch is being funded by the illicit funds garnered by levying toll from hapless travellers. Why else has the six-laning been delayed by nearly seven years when it ought to have been completed by 2013?” Mr. Velankar asked.
