dna investigation: IRB Infra has different tales on toll evaders

IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd seems to have different versions on its toll operations for the Dahisar-Surat Highway stretch.With government authorities it has been maintaining that lakhs of motorists are not paying toll, but to dna it said evasion was rare. IRB Surat-Dahisar Tollway Private Ltd had shot off letters to four police stations asking them to book and collect toll from over 6 lakh motorists.As per data accessed by dna, the private agency, in letters to officers attached with Virar and Kasa police stations in Maharashtra as well as Navsari and Pardi police stations in Gujarat, not only asked the cops to register First Information Reports (FIRs) against toll evaders but also to assist them in recovering the unpaid toll.While asking police officers "bound to assist toll collectors when required" to recover toll from non-paying motorists, the correspondence reads, "…under the Indian Tolls Act, 1951, the state is authorised to collect such toll…The toll tax levied is public revenue, and, hence, collection of toll is in the nature of public duty, which is to be performed by the agents appointed by the state government, and, in this case, the company and its officer collecting toll."In the correspondences, the company say 6,05,695 persons passed the four (Khaniwade, Charoti, Bhagwada and Boriach) toll plazas on the Surat-Dahisar stretch without paying toll between March 14 and April 10. The maximum evaders were at Bhagwada (2,42,349), followed by Boriach (1,95,474).The details of the toll-evading motorists were shared with the Virar, Kasa, Pardi and Navsari police stations but questions on the FIRs or cases registered with police were not answered by IRB Infrastructure Developers.IRB's statement to dna was "all our toll plazas / nakas are functioning efficiently. We have no major problems on toll collections at any point. Some motorists may resist but our staff manages to convince them to pay as per rules for highway users. But such incidents are rare and negligible. The police take care if there is any law-and-order issue."Activist Sanjay Shirodkar alleged that the difference in stance by the private agency is nothing but a "conspiracy to ensure that the tenure or concession period is extended by showing lesser toll collections".It is also doubtful whether the letters to the police station will be of any help. "We haven't registered any offence on toll evasions as they are non-cognisable complaints and do not call for FIRs. We cannot take action. The private agency has to approach the judiciary to recover toll against the offenders. They need to file a complaint with the court," said Ravi Magar, inspector at Kasa police station.

TOLL EVADING MOTORISTS

TOLL PLAZASPOLICE STATIONSOFFENCE AGAINSTDATES / DAYSKhaniwadeVirar1,13,718March 14 – April 10CharotiKasa54,154March 14 – April 10BhagwadaPardi2,42,349March 14 – April 10BoriachNavsari1,95,474March 14 – April 10TOTAL6,05,69528 DAYS