Providing significant relief to commuters, including pilgrims traveling to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has directed the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MORTH) to reduce the steep toll fees in the Union Territory within four months.

The court has mandated that authorities cap toll charges at the Lakhanpur and Bann plazas at 20% of the rates applicable before January 26, 2024, until the Lakhanpur-Udhampur national highway becomes fully operational.

Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice M.A. Chowdhary, heading the division bench, issued these directives while hearing a PIL that challenged the toll collection along the Jammu-Pathankot highway between Lakhanpur and Bann. The petitioners argued that authorities should not impose toll fees until they complete the ongoing work on the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway, which will connect to this highway.

The court criticized the excessive number of toll plazas in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, stating that authorities must not exploit toll collection as a means to unfairly profit from the public. "Respondents are charging exorbitant toll fees, particularly at the Bann toll plaza, while toll rates at other locations also remain unreasonably high," the court noted in its 12-page order.

The judges further highlighted that the high toll rates have allowed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to accumulate vast revenues while enabling private contractors to amass significant profits. Emphasizing the need for fair toll rates, the court directed MORTH to revise the charges at all toll plazas to reasonable levels instead of treating them as a source of excessive revenue. The ministry must implement these changes within four months.

Additionally, the high court ordered NHAI, the Jammu & Kashmir government, and MORTH to revoke, within a week, any directives that redistributed the toll influence length between Lakhanpur and Bann following the closure of the Thandi Khui toll plaza.

The court has also instructed authorities to immediately reduce toll fees at the Lakhanpur and Bann plazas to 20% of their pre-January 26, 2024, rates. They may reinstate full toll charges only after an independent surveyor certifies the highway’s complete operational status.

Furthermore, the court prohibited authorities from setting up new toll plazas within a 60-km stretch of National Highway 44. It also ordered them to remove any existing toll plazas within this range in Jammu & Kashmir or Ladakh within two months.

To enhance security, the court directed officials and toll contractors to avoid hiring individuals with criminal backgrounds. They must deploy toll plaza personnel only after proper verification by the relevant police agencies, holding local station house officers (SHOs) personally responsible for any lapses.