Jammu, Feb 26 : The J&K and Ladakh High Court has directed the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to reduce the toll rates in the union territory.

Officials said on Wednesday that to give relief to commuters and the pilgrims of Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims, the J&K High Court has directed the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to slash hefty toll fees within four months.

The order said the fees collected at the Lakhanpur and the Bann toll plazas would be 20 per cent of the rates in force prior to January 26 last year till the national highway from Lakhanpur to Udhampur could become fully operational.

A division bench of Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice M.A. Chowdhary passed the directions on a PIL seeking exemption of the toll collected along the Jammu-Pathankot Highway between Lakhanpur and Bann till the ongoing work on the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway was completed. The highway is being extended to be connected to the expressway.

"There should not be mushrooming of toll plazas in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh only with the sole aim and objective of minting money from the general public' Respondents are charging hefty toll fees at Bann toll plaza, whereas toll fees at other toll plazas are also high,' the bench said in a 12-page order issued on Tuesday.

'Thus, not only the treasures of NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) are being filled with thousands of crores of rupees, private contractors are also enriching themselves by accumulating crores of rupees,' the order said.

The order also said that since the fees must be fair enough for the general public and should not be a source of revenue-generating mechanism, the respondents, particularly the Union Ministry concerned are directed to consider levying 'fair and genuine' fees at the toll plazas, thereby slashing the existing fees at all the plazas as the current rates are on the higher side. The decision in this regard (will) be taken positively within a period of four months from today (Tuesday),' according to the order.

The high court also ordered the respondents -- the NHAI, Jammu and Kashmir government and the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways -- to withdraw within one week the order or direction regarding redistributing the influence length from Lakhanpur to Udhampur between the Lakhanpur and the Bann poll plazas with effect from January 26 last year after the closure of the Thandi Khui toll plaza.

'Respondents are directed to levy only 20 per cent of the toll fee with immediate effect, i.e., the toll fee at Lakhanpur toll plaza and Bann toll plaza shall be 20 per cent of the rates earlier in force before 26.01.2024 till the national highway from Lakhanpur to Udhampur gets fully operational for smooth utilisation of the public. Respondents are to charge the full toll at both these toll plazas only after the issuance of a certificate in this regard by an independent surveyor,' it said.

The high court directed the respondents not to establish any toll plaza within 60 kilometres of National Highway 44. 'If there is any toll plaza in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir or in the Union Territory of Ladakh within 60 kilometres on the national highway, respondents (are directed) to remove the same within two months from today (Tuesday).'

The respondents and the contractors of the toll plazas were directed not to employ anyone with a criminal background.

/IANS