The Jabalpur High court bench comprising of justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice Alok Aradhe dismissed the applications which were filed against the MP Road Development Corporation (MPRDC) and the toll road contractor company, Mhow Agroh Pathways Pvt ltd, alleging that they are collecting illegal toll for 22 km stretch of road without completing the total road of 75 km.
The court stated that the State Government and the toll road contractor are working according to the Government rules. It is to be noted that MPRDC invited the global tender for construction of Rau-Mhow-Mandleshwar road on BOT basis. Mhow residents Manish Jaiswal, Bane Singh Thakur and Emerald Heights School Society Indore have submitted a writ petition against the government that the State Government has completed the 20.40 km stretch and the remaining part of the road that is Mhow-Jamghat-Mandleshwar of distance 54.20 is incomplete.
The petitioners appealed that till the time the total road from Rau till Mandleshwar i.e. 75 km is not complete the contractor cannot collect the toll tax. The emerald heights school which is one of the costly schools of Madhya Pradesh appealed that their school bus should be exempted from the toll tax as they are serving the society by means of education.
The director of Mhow Agroh Pathways limited Puneet Agrawal told that we were giving 30 per cent discount to the four wheelers during the legal case was proceeding in High Court and now the full rates will be charged from the four wheelers. On the other hand the residents of Mhow have thanked the State Government for the construction of x press four-lane from Mandleshwar to Rau via Mhow as it has made the journey between mhowand Indore safe and smooth.
It is to be noted that none of the Mhow people have supported the petitioners and only a bunch of 5 to 6 people were instrumental to oppose the toll tax and Mhow locals never supported their movement against toll road. The toll booth equipped with hi tech cameras also support the administration and police by keeping the photographs of all the vehicles and travelers passing through the highways.