IHC petition challenges MCI’s Rs100 entry charge in New Blue Area

ISLAMABAD: A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court challenging the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad’s authority to collect Rs100 from motorists using the service road in the New Blue Area.

The petition was submitted by Advocate Mohammad Tayyab through lawyers Zohaib Gondal, Hazrat Younis and Mohammad Saeed Dar. It names the home secretary, chief commissioner and the MCI administrator as respondents.

According to the petition, the amount is being collected from all vehicles entering the commercial district, including those that do not park and only pass through the area. The petitioner has argued that the charge is effectively an entry fee rather than a parking fee and has described it as a possible violation of fundamental rights.

The petition states that the MCI is not providing any identifiable service or facility in exchange for the amount being charged. It also contends that the levy runs contrary to earlier higher court rulings that, according to the petitioner, prohibit authorities from imposing arbitrary access charges on public roads.

In the petition, Advocate Tayyab has asked the court to declare the MCI’s move illegal and void. He has also maintained that the service road forms part of a public thoroughfare and has sought a direction for MCI’s counsel to identify the legal provision under which such a fee can be imposed on road users.

The MCI introduced the charge in early April 2026, citing traffic management as the reason for the measure. The New Blue Area contains commercial markets, corporate offices and restaurants, and the area has experienced a sharp rise in visitor traffic in recent months.

The matter places before the high court the question of whether a municipal authority can impose a charge on vehicles merely for entering or using a service road in a public commercial zone, as raised in the petition.