KARACHI: Hearing a petition filed by residents of Bahria Town, a division bench of High Court of Sindh restrained National Highway Authority (Frontier Works Organization) from collecting Toll Tax till next date of hearing fixed to be Feb 25.
The bench earlier heard counsel for petitioners who maintained that NHA and Super Highway Construction Operation & Rehabilitation Engineering (SCORE) entered a concession agreement under which a service road was to be constructed alongside Motorway M-9 but instead NHA install Toll Booth and are collecting Toll Tax from residents/visitors to Bahria Town while no such tax is collected from residents of Gabol Goth which is a sheer discrimination. The counsel for respondents were unable to respond and sought time to seek instructions.
The Additional Advocate General Sindh and Assistant Attorney General when asked said that apparently respondent NHA has no legal authority to collect Toll Tax from these who are not using the M-9 and the such place is within territorial jurisdiction of Karachi Division.
The bench after these statement from counsel representing provincial and federal government sought comments from NHA and other respondents while NHA was restrained from charing Toll Tax from residents/visitors to Bahria Town Karachi till Feb 25.