Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday announced that the Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway will be removed in next two-three months, adding that his government is considering proposals for its removal.
Khattar made the announcement on the side lines of an event in Gurugram’s Sector 79, and said that he spoke to Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday in this regard.
“The state government is working towards removal of Kherki Daula toll plaza and I had a discussion on this regard with Union transport minister on this matter. The main problem at this toll is that there is congestion and traffic jams, which causes heavy pollution. Paying the toll fees is not an issue with most of the people and removal of toll barriers is under active consideration. This shifting will be carried out on next two to three months,” said Khattar.
The CM added that the toll plaza will be either shifted to Panchgaon or to the Dwarka Expressway.
Khattar also said that the highway ministry is planning to implement a satellite-based technology, whereby there would be no need for physical toll plaza at Kherki Daula. On Thursday, Gadkari had said that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is working on a GPS-based technology, which would enable the collection of toll fees directly through FaSTags. When asked about the removal of toll plaza, Gadkari reiterated that commuters will have to pay a toll on highways as the NHAI needed to generate resources to maintain the roads.
There is strong resentment among Gurugram residents over the Kherki Daula toll plaza, as the concession agreement of 15 years which was signed by the private operator to collect fee on the highway expired in January this year.
Thereafter, the concessionaire was given an additional two months’ time as compensation for the loss suffered it due to Covid-19 pandemic, and the toll plaza was handed over to a private toll operator in March. After the completion of the concession agreement, the Union transport ministry notified the Kherki Daula toll plaza as public funded toll plaza.
City residents have been demanding that the toll plaza should be removed and shifted, as the concessionaire agreement is over and residents have paid toll for 15 years. Pravin Malik, president of the United Association of New Gurugram, said it was unfair for residents of Gurugram to continue paying the toll as the concession agreement was over, and the cost of construction and capital employed had been recovered.
Source : HT
