The Bombay High Court Wednesday imposed costs of ₹50,000 on the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and public works department (PwD) of Maharashtra government due to delay in construction and maintenance work of the Mumbai-Goa highway..The costs have to be paid to the petitioner who was compelled to approach High Court due to the delay. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Arif Doctor observed that the petitioner had been compelled to approach High Court for non-compliance and breach of their undertaking given to the High Court. So the cost was to cover the litigation expenses incurred by the petitioner. It also directed the Project Director of NHAI and the Superintendent Engineer of PWD to visit the spots and file a report within four weeks. .The petitioner, Owais Pechkar, had alleged in his 2021 public interest litigation that because there were potholes on the highway and the widening of the highway was ongoing, there were a lot of accidents. NHAI had filed an undertaking before the High Court that it would complete the road widening and repairs within 2 years. That time limit expired in December 2020, and the Court noted that NHAI had not sought any extension from the High Court. NHAI informed the Court that it had issued tenders and allotted the work to a contractor. Additionally, it had also issued a show cause notice to the contractor for not completing the work.In 2022, the High Court observed that the pace for widening the highway was disappointing as it was pending since 2010. It directed NHAI to expedite the work. The Court will hear the PIL next on August 9.
The Bombay High Court Wednesday imposed costs of ₹50,000 on the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and public works department (PwD) of Maharashtra government due to delay in construction and maintenance work of the Mumbai-Goa highway..The costs have to be paid to the petitioner who was compelled to approach High Court due to the delay. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Arif Doctor observed that the petitioner had been compelled to approach High Court for non-compliance and breach of their undertaking given to the High Court. So the cost was to cover the litigation expenses incurred by the petitioner. It also directed the Project Director of NHAI and the Superintendent Engineer of PWD to visit the spots and file a report within four weeks. .The petitioner, Owais Pechkar, had alleged in his 2021 public interest litigation that because there were potholes on the highway and the widening of the highway was ongoing, there were a lot of accidents. NHAI had filed an undertaking before the High Court that it would complete the road widening and repairs within 2 years. That time limit expired in December 2020, and the Court noted that NHAI had not sought any extension from the High Court. NHAI informed the Court that it had issued tenders and allotted the work to a contractor. Additionally, it had also issued a show cause notice to the contractor for not completing the work.In 2022, the High Court observed that the pace for widening the highway was disappointing as it was pending since 2010. It directed NHAI to expedite the work. The Court will hear the PIL next on August 9.