In a significant development for commuters using the National Highway-44 (NH-44) from Pathankot to Udhampur, the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has ordered a reduction in toll fees at two plazas along the national highway. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that the high court ruled that only 20 per cent of the toll fee should be collected until the completion of the construction work under the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway project. A Bench comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice MA Choudhary stated that toll fees should not be collected from commuters if the highway is in poor condition due to ongoing construction. The court said that tolls are intended to compensate users for smooth, well-maintained infrastructure. However, the current state of the highway, marked by diversions and potholes, fails to provide such facilities to travellers. It is unfair to continue charging tolls when the road is in a deteriorated condition,” the court said, acknowledging the concerns of commuters. The court also instructed that no toll plazas should be established within 60 kilometres of National Highway-44, and existing ones in Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh should be removed within two months. The decision came in response to a PIL filed by Sugandha Sawhney, who sought exemption from toll taxes at Lakhanpur, Thandi Khui, and Bann toll plazas on the National Highway-44. The plea highlighted the inconvenience caused to the public due to the construction work, which has reduced the four-lane highway to a single lane in many areas. The highway is currently undergoing construction for the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway project.