Key parts of the contract between the National Highway Company (NDS) and operator of Slovakia’s new electronic road toll system, SkyToll, remain confidential, opposition MPs said after a parliamentary inquiry at NDS held on January 27, the TASR newswire reported.
They referred specifically to SkyToll’'s actual bid and how the price was decided.
But MP Peter Pelegrini, from Smer, defended the contract’s confidentiality by saying that it’s a trade secret of SkyToll.
“It’s been established that the price depends on transactions, the number of which depend on number of tolled road sections. Therefore, the sum of €26 billion for the road-toll system is not final, as the number of sections is bound to increase from 850 to 1,700 in late 2010,” said Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) MP Stanislav Janiš to TASR.
MPs demanded to see trial protocols, documenting the introduction of individual preparation phases for the launch of the road-toll system. NDS General Director Igor Choma told MPs that they will have the protocols at the end of this week. Janiš said he doubts that the road-toll system had been properly tested before its launch, as the contract states.
NDS representatives claim that the new toll system is functioning well. Janiš, however, said he thinks that the road-toll system functions only at SkyToll, NDS and on paper – whereas the reality on the roads is different. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
