As the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and contractor are at loggerheads over toll tax collection, crisis may further deepen following reduction of 30 per cent in payment to SDMC owing to decline in entry of trucks in the national Capital.
Till now the SDMC used to get Rs 11 crore per week from toll tax collection, this time, after imposition of green tax, the contractor submitted Rs 7.30 crore.
While the South Corporation has refused to comply with the reduced amount, the contractor has expressed its inability to pay the desired sum. This has not gone down well with the South MCD that said it will be forced to dock the expenses from contractor’s security account.
Also, it has sent a notice to contractor over this issue.
“SMYR will have to pay us the weekly sum of Rs 11 crore as they are bound to do so. As per the rules of the contract, there is no such provision which says the contractor is allowed to cut down on the amount owing to any reason like lesser entry of trucks. They are duty bound to pay us the fixed amount,” said Radhe Shyam Sharma, Standing Committee Chairman of SDMC.
“We are awaiting court’s next hearing. We will see what decision is taken. If the situation goes out of hand, then we will be forced to take actions,” added Sharma.
The contractor claimed and it was reported by The Pioneer earlier that the entry of commercial vehicles has been reduced by 20 per cent since green tax collection began across 125 entry points of the city.
The vehicles opted for a different route and traversed through Haryana and UP thereby avoiding entry into the capital in a bid to avoid payment of taxes.