After an unsuccessful court fight against three oil marketing companies which charged higher rate from bulk purchasers of diesel as compared to retail prices of the fuel, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has now locked horns with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Guruvayur Infrastructure Private Limited (GIPL), a joint venture company responsible for toll collection and road maintenance on the Mannuthy-Edappally stretch of the National Highway 544, over a dispute on collecting toll.
In a communication sent to the government by the NHAI, it was informed that KSRTC buses were not maintaining sufficient balance in FASTag wallets resulting in FASTags getting blacklisted and leading to concessionaires charging double payment as per the ‘NH Fee Rules’. Till February 2022, an amount of ₹106.36 crore had been claimed by the concessionaire against the NHAI in this regard and the KSRTC had paid only ₹3.05 crore to the concessionaires, the letter said.
The government was also requested to issue necessary directions to the KSRTC for maintaining sufficient balance in the FASTag wallets to avoid charging of double payments by the concessionaire. Speaking to The Hindu, KSRTC Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Biju Prabhakar said the KSRTC was planning to approach court against GIPL for making fraudulent claims with a view to siphoning off public money. The company has not provided any data to substantiate their claims.
