‘Two hours of rain brings Delhi to standstill,’ says CJI BR Gavai

Supreme Court criticized NHAI for poor highways as CJI Gavai noted Delhi’s rain chaos. Kerala HC had halted tolls on a 12-hour-jam road. Court questioned Rs 150 toll for terrible roads, reserving judgment.

New Delhi: Supreme Court Chief Justice (CJI) B.R. Gavai expressed concern over the problems of Delhi while hearing an important case. He said that "Only two hours of rain completely jams Delhi." He made this comment during the ongoing debate on toll collection on a highway in Kerala.

What is the Kerala highway case?

The Kerala High Court had stopped toll collection at a toll booth (Pelliyekkara) on NH-544 because the condition of the road was very bad. People had to get stuck in the jam for 12 hours, whereas this journey should be completed in just 1 hour. NHAI (National Highway Authority of India) appealed to the Supreme Court against this decision.

Questions asked by the court to NHAI

"How can you collect a toll on such a bad road?"

During the hearing, CJI BR Gavai asked NHAI how much toll is charged for that 65 km road, on which he was told that the toll is Rs 150. On this, the CJI said, "Why would anyone pay Rs 150 if he has to get stuck in a 12-hour-long jam?" People spend 11 hours more for a 1-hour journey.

"Why did the lorry overturn? Because of the potholes on the road."

On the court's comment, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared on behalf of NHAI, said that the 12-hour-long jam occurred because a lorry had overturned there. On his argument, the court said that the lorry did not overturn on its own; it overturned due to the pit.

NHAI's defense

SG Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court that NHAI has built alternative roads for those roads where the work of underpass is going on, but due to the monsoon, the work of underpass has also been greatly affected.

CJI's comment on Delhi's problem

When a lawyer mentioned the traffic jam outside the Supreme Court, the CJI said, "The condition of Delhi is even worse. The entire road system here comes to a standstill in just 2 hours of rain."

What happened in the end?

The Supreme Court reserved the decision on the petition of NHAI (i.e., will hear it later).