Collecting toll while failing to maintain roads is a service deficiency

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Nagpur has ruled that collecting toll while failing to maintain roads properly amounts to deficiency in service. It directed the NHAI Chhindwara project division to pay ₹1,030 for vehicle repair, ₹10,000 for mental and physical distress, and ₹5,000 towards legal expenses to a complainant whose car was damaged due to potholes.

The complainant was travelling from Nagpur in Maharashtra to Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh when his vehicle was damaged due to pothole-ridden roads, forcing him to delay his journey. The commission held that toll collection without ensuring proper road maintenance is a clear lapse in responsibility.