NAROWAL: The contract for toll collection at the Badomalhi Toll Plaza on the New Lahore Road could not be tendered in the last two years due to alleged involvement in corruption by the Punjab Highways Department employees who collect toll at the plaza.

The department vehemently denies the charges.

The department had set up a toll plaza in 2017 on the New Lahore Road, 20km from Narowal, and posted its own employees to collect toll from the motorists. The employees collect toll from vehicles plying between Narowal and other cities, including Lahore and Sheikhupura.

The department had called tenders for collection of toll to avoid corruption complaints at the toll plaza and contractors were awarded the contract but due to the alleged connivance of the employees of Punjab Highways, they left, leaving it for the highways officers of district Narowal to collect toll.

According to the sources, toll tax to the tune of Rs40,000 to Rs50,000 is being collected on a daily basis from the plaza while only Rs10,000 to Rs18,000 are deposited with the provincial kitty. The highways department deployed eight workers at Toll Plaza Badomalhi for toll collection.

The public transport and private vehicles use two roads, New Lahore Road and Muridke Road to reach Lahore from Narowal. Lahore is at a distance of 95km from Narowal through the New Lahore Road and the distance increases to 130km from Muridke Road, the alternative road.

Citizens Ali Jan and Farid Ahmed said the owners of public transport and private vehicles like to travel on New Lahore Road, adding that 35km the journey on New Lahore Road was reduced and there was also saving of the fuel.

Punjab Highways Narowal SDO Saba Afzal said there was no traffic on New Lahore Road as the road was single-carriageway while most of the traffic going to Lahore was the two-lane Muridke Road.

Punjab Highways Narowal EXEN Samiullah said tender for Badomalhi Toll Plaza were awarded twice

but both times the contractor left.

He described the allegations of corruption and irregularities in the toll tax revenue as baseless, rejecting the report.

The citizens demanded the chief secretary to take notice of the situation.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2022