NHAI fined Rs 17,000 for wrongly charging Rs 40 toll tax from disabled woman

Geeta said that connected April 28, 2024, portion traveling with her household to Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh), she was not charged immoderate toll. However, connected her instrumentality travel to Chandigarh, she was stopped astatine the Chandimandir Toll Plaza. Despite showing her RC, the toll unit allegedly demanded a aesculapian certificate oregon asked her to measurement retired of the car and locomotion successful beforehand of them.

Her counsel argued that contempt her conveyance being successful the toll-exempt lane, NHAI forcibly deducted Rs 40 from her FASTag relationship connected April 28, 2024. She instantly called NHAI’s lawsuit attraction and lodged a ailment astir the unlawful deduction and the alleged misbehaviour by the toll staff. However, she claimed that her ailment was closed without immoderate redressal. She besides sent an email connected April 29, 2024, but received nary response.

Despite being served notice, NHAI did not look earlier the Chandigarh Consumer Commission, and connected August 16, 2024, the lawsuit proceeded ex-parte.

After reviewing the documents, the Commission ruled that Geeta had registered her conveyance successful compliance with each requirements and was entitled to toll exemption nether authorities guidelines. “There was nary crushed to complaint immoderate toll taxation from the complainant,” it stated.

The Commission besides pointed retired that if her conveyance was exempted from toll connected her mode to Kasauli, determination was nary justification for charging her Rs 40 connected the instrumentality travel the aforesaid day.

The seat of Surjeet Kaur (Presiding Member) and Brij Mohan Sharma (Member) noted, “The complainant has narrated successful item her communicative of woes and the agony and embarrassment suffered astatine the toll plaza. When the Government of India, with a presumption to assisting persons with disabilities, provides assorted benefits and incentives, the toll staff’s actions—charging toll successful usurpation of guidelines—are not lone amerciable but besides magnitude to gross deficiency successful work and unfair commercialized practice.”

The Commission directed NHAI to refund Rs 40 to the complainant, wage Rs 10,000 arsenic compensation, and Rs 7,000 arsenic litigation costs.