Excessive Courtroom asks Punjab to file standing report on 13 toll plazas ‘taken over’ by protesters
Chandigarh, January 12
The Punjab and Haryana Excessive Courtroom directed the Punjab authorities on Thursday to file a standing report on 13 toll plazas within the state which have allegedly been taken over by sure protesters.
The instructions got here after the Nationwide Highways Authority of India (NHAI) moved the court docket on Tuesday, looking for a resumption of the operations of the toll plazas.
A bench of Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj additionally issued a discover of movement to the state of Punjab and different officers within the matter.
The court docket additionally directed the chief secretary and director normal of police to adjust to the phrases of the state assist settlement, which was executed between the Punjab authorities and the Centre, with regard to their obligation to offer safety to all of the 34 toll plazas established by the NHAI within the state to make sure their clean functioning, NHAI’s counsel Chetan Mittal mentioned.
The senior counsel additional mentioned the court docket additionally requested the Punjab authorities what motion was taken in regards to the 13 toll plazas taken over by the protesters.
A path was issued to the CS and the DGP to file a standing report and an action-taken report in respect of the 13 toll plazas, together with one that’s allegedly being run by the protesters who’re additionally amassing the toll charge from the commuters, Mittal mentioned.
The NHAI had additionally identified that nothing was achieved by Punjab authorities officers within the final two days in relation to those toll plazas.
The court docket has mounted February 16 as the following date of listening to within the matter.
In its petition, the NHAI had mentioned it was dealing with a day by day lack of Rs 1.33 crore due to the prevention of toll assortment by the protesters at these toll plazas.
It was additionally submitted that the 13 toll plazas had been forcibly taken over by the protesters and the toll assortment was stopped at 12 of these.
The petition claims that the protesters are illegally working one of many toll plazas at Kot Karor in Ferozepur by amassing cash from the commuters.
A farmers’ physique has been staging protests at numerous toll plazas in Punjab since December 15, demanding farm mortgage waiver, remunerative costs for his or her crops and compensation for crop injury.