A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) challenging the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad’s (MCI) authority to collect a Rs. 100 fee from motorists using the service road in the New Blue Area.
The petition was filed by Advocate Mohammad Tayyab through lawyers Zohaib Gondal, Hazrat Younis and Mohammad Saeed Dar. The home secretary, chief commissioner and MCI administrator have been named as respondents.
According to the petition, the fee is being charged from all vehicles entering the commercial district, regardless of whether they park or merely use the service road. The petitioner argued that the charge effectively functions as an entry fee rather than a parking fee.
The petition contends that the MCI is not providing any specific service or facility in return for the fee and argues that the levy is unlawful and inconsistent with previous court rulings regarding charges imposed on public roads.
It further maintains that the service road forms part of a public thoroughfare and questions the legal basis under which the fee has been imposed. The petitioner has requested the court to declare the charge illegal and strike down the decision.
The MCI introduced the Rs. 100 fee in April 2026, citing traffic management concerns in the New Blue Area, which has experienced increased commercial activity and visitor traffic in recent months.