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Why Gurgaon e-way still takes a toll on speed

NEW DELHI: Commuters using the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway will have to pay a higher toll for using the 27.7-km-long stretch from Wednesday but the smooth ride promised to road users has remained just that, a promise. More than a year after the expressway was thrown open to traffic, the waiting time at the 32-lane toll plaza continues to be very long.

At the Delhi-Gurgaon border toll plaza, it ranges from 4-6 minutes at present, even during non-peak hours. The situation is almost the same for those who have tags as non-tag users enter the dedicated lanes, holding up others at the toll gates. "This is a major cause for delays at the toll plaza. If we have bought the tags, why should we have to wait for others who have illegally entered the wrong lane? There are signages on the expressway saying violators will be charged extra but not once have I seen that happening,'' said Kshitij Chopra, a regular commuter.

He's right since the issue of prosecution is yet to be settled. The developers of the expressway, DSC Limited, claim they don't have the power to prosecute drivers as per the concession agreement signed with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). "We consider this to be a problem and have repeatedly asked Haryana Police to start prosecuting those trying to pay cash in the tag lanes. In fact, the company has even offered to pay the police staff if they are stretched for resources. We have also written to NHAI asking them to alter the concession agreement,'' said a DSC Limited spokesperson.

More than a year later, the Gurgaon Police is still "examining the legality'' of the request. Said Satinder Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic): "We are examining the legal implications of whether people using the wrong lane at the toll plaza can be prosecuted or not. So far, no one has been fined. But necessary action will be taken.'' If and when that happens, the amount has to be such that it deters people from entering the tag lanes.

The other problems at the toll plaza that of multiple vehicles trying to get into one lane or arguments with booth officers leading to delays are far from being resolved. Segregation of cash and tag lanes is not properly enforced either. "We are planning to paint the tag lanes orange with fluorescent paint upto a distance of 250 metres from the toll plaza to make them visible from a distance and are also educating commuters about lane discipline,'' the spokesperson added.

More than 2 lakh commuters use the expressway daily across the three toll booths, of which nearly 40,000 vehicles pass the toll plazas during the peak hours. Even as several measures have been initiated to make tags more popular, no more than 40 per cent of the commuters use tags. To this, about 1,500-2,000 users are added every month, but as per international standards cited by DSC, about 70 per cent commuters need to use tags for the waiting time to be `ideal'.

"What's the point of getting a tag when one will still need to wait at the toll plaza. In the past one year of using the road, not once have I seen the tag lane free from queues,'' said Nidhi Khanna, a commuter. Tag users say the process of recharging the tag with money is time-consuming and there is need to introduce it in the lanes.

The toll revision, effective April 1, is an annual process mandated by NHAI in the concession agreement for all toll roads. The amount of increase or decrease in toll is determined by the Wholesale Price Index. "When the free ride offered to us hasn't come in terms of non-stop access through the tag lanes, why should we pay extra,'' asked Raman Gulati, a doctor and tag user.

1 Apr 2009, Megha Suri, TNN