The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the closure or relocation of nine toll plazas on Delhi’s borders to ease severe traffic congestion and curb rising air pollution levels in the Capital. Hearing a matter related to pollution control, the court expressed concern that long vehicle queues at municipal toll points were worsening air quality. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to take a decision within a week, while also asking highway authorities to explore alternative arrangements.
Temporary Closure To Cut Congestion
During the hearing, the bench questioned why toll plazas could not be shut temporarily to reduce traffic bottlenecks at Delhi’s entry points. “Why can’t the officials say that till January, there will be no toll plaza?” the Chief Justice remarked, according to PTI. The court asked the MCD to decide within a week whether nine of its toll plazas could be closed for the time being as an immediate measure to ease congestion.
Shifting Toll booths, Sharing Revenue
The Supreme Court also directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to examine the feasibility of shifting the toll collection booths currently run by the MCD. Justice Surya Kant suggested that these toll points could be relocated to areas managed by the NHAI. He added that a portion of the toll revenue collected could be diverted to the MCD to compensate for any temporary financial loss arising from the shift, as reported by Live Law.
The issue was raised after the court was informed about persistent traffic jams at an MCD toll plaza on the Delhi-Gurugram border. The bench noted that long queues of vehicles at such points significantly contribute to air pollution in the national capital. The directions form part of a broader judicial push to address congestion-linked pollution as Delhi continues to grapple with hazardous air quality levels.
