Delhi-Gurgaon toll plaza removed

New Delhi: Motorists using Delhi-Gurgaon expressway were in for a pleasant surprise as they sailed to their destinations without encountering the normal traffic snarl following the removal of a toll plaza.

The toll plaza that connects the national capital with its Haryana suburb Gurgaon was removed at mid-night of Wednesday-Thursday following an agreement between the lead financier Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) and the private operator Delhi-Gurgaon Super Connectivity Ltd (DGSCL). The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had earlier decided to unilaterally scrap the agreement of DGSCL for its failure to provide seamless connectivity between the two cities followed by a plethora of litigations. Delhi High Court had approved the agreement to dismantle the toll plaza on Wednesday.

While those travelling frequently between the two cities will now save time and money, those driving beyond Gurgaon towards industrial township Manesar and Jaipur using the National Highway 8, and those driving from Delhi to its international airport will now pay double the existing toll to compensate for the loss of revenue as only one of the three toll plazas have been removed.

However, four of the 16 lanes have been retained for collection of entry tax from commercial vehicles where the South Delhi Municipal Corporation would now collect their taxes directly.

The 27.6km toll road was constructed by DGSCL on the existing national highway with the idea of providing non-stop traffic between the two cities. However, faulty calculation of estimated number of vehicles that would use the stretch ended up in a big nightmare for motorists as they had to wait in queues stretching up to 2km, waste nearly half an hour to pay toll to use the road after it became operational in 2009.