H.D. Kumaraswamy says NICE collected ₹4,756 crore toll since 2008 in violation of norms
Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has alleged that the NICE road project has collected over ₹4,756 crore in tolls in violation of original project agreements. He is demanding an immediate halt to toll collection, citing a recent Karnataka High Court judgment that labeled the project's alignment changes as a fraud on the Constitution.
Why it matters
This highlights a significant legal and financial dispute over infrastructure project management and public-private partnership accountability in India.
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday (October 7) alleged that NICE had collected ₹4,756.48 crore in toll revenue since 2008 in violation of norms despite the project remaining incomplete, and demanded that toll collection be stopped immediately.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged that the toll collection was being carried out in violation of the terms governing the NICE project.
“The original project cost of the NICE road was ₹1,583.76 crore. But the company has collected ₹4,756.48 crore through tolls which is almost three times the original project cost,” he claimed.
The annual toll collections that stood at ₹5.59 crore in 2008-09 had risen to ₹734.97 crore by 2024-25, he stated.
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