The Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) has initiated auditing the accounts of the Noida Toll Bridge Company Ltd (NTBC) to ascertain if they have already recovered the cost and reasonable profit from the Delhi-Noida DND flyover.
The government auditor was asked by the Supreme Court to audit the total cost of the DND flyover being recovered by NTBC. The 9.2-km, eight-lane DND flyway, which started operations in 2001, is believed to have already collected a total of ₹2,000 crore in toll, according to reports.
“We have already done the entry conference (the initial discussions) with the stakeholders on November 23 informing them about the audit,” an official associated with the development told
Last month, the Supreme Court while refusing to grant stay on the Allahabad High Court judgment which had made the DND flyway free for the commuters, asked CAG to examine the finances of the project.
“Prior to the entry conference, the CAG has had its internal strategy meet – on how to go about conducting the audit and what are the aspects that need to be looked into. The auditor during the course of its audit will also look into all matters and information pertaining to all the benefits which would have been extended to Noida Toll Bridge, including utilisation of these benefits,” the official said.
During the course of auditing, it will also examine the concessional agreements (contracts) and also compare it with some global agreements, the official added.
The audit team will comprise officials from commercial, revenue, information technology team, besides others.
To a PIL filed in 2012 by the Noida Residents Welfare Association, the Allahabad High Court had decided that no toll will be collected henceforth from those using the eight-lane DND flyway.
The flyway connecting Delhi with Noida and East Delhi has witnessed several protests and demonstrations seeking scrapping of the toll.
The Noida Authority had authorised NTBC to increase the toll charges from time to time.
The toll fee has been gradually hiked from ₹8 for each journey to ₹28.