Good News for Noida: DND Flyover to Remain Toll Free, Says SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court upheld the decision to keep the Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) flyway toll-free, dismissing a challenge from a private company that had been collecting tolls on the flyway.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan ruled that the agreement allowing Noida Toll Bridge Company Ltd (NTBCL) to collect tolls was "unjust, unfair, and arbitrary." The court also criticized the Noida authority for handing over the toll collection rights to NTBCL, a private firm with no prior experience in managing such projects.

The decision comes as a significant relief for lakhs of commuters who use the 9.2 km-long DND flyway daily. The court found that continuing the toll collection was unnecessary and had led to the unjust enrichment of the private firm. It declared the contract for toll collection invalid, ending a long-standing issue for those traveling between Delhi and Noida.

This ruling reinforces a 2016 order by the Allahabad High Court, which had also directed that toll collection on the flyway stop. The High Court’s order followed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Federation of Noida Residents' Welfare Association, which challenged the toll charges. The PIL argued that the toll collection was illegal, as the fees were not supported by proper legal provisions.

In its judgment, the High Court had said the toll fees were not backed by the relevant laws and had criticized the excessive delegation of power to NTBCL by the Noida Authority under the UP Industrial Development Act.

With this Supreme Court ruling, commuters can now use the DND flyway without having to pay toll fees, marking a win for the public and ending years of legal disputes.