Hyderabad: One need not pay user fee at the toll gate on Outer Ring Road from April 1 if there are over 20 vehicles on any lane. The idea is to avoid prolonged traffic jams. Under the new rules, the agency managing the toll gates should clear the entire stretch without charging any commuter.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority appointed a new toll collection agency, Eagle Infra India Limited, with effect from March 1, which had quoted the highest collection amount of Rs 24.29 crore per month.
While floating the tender, HMDA had ordered some additional conditions not existing in the previous toll collection tenure.
Under the new rules if the number of vehicles in a lane exceeds 20 at any point of time, the agency has to clear the entire lane without collecting user fee. This is likely to benefit people during holidays, which see a lot of jams at the toll gates. During Sankranthi last month, when vehicles were lined up bumper to bumper for over a kilometre at various toll plazas, like Nanakram guda and Patancheru, the state government had lifted toll fee for three days.
Commuters, however, remain skeptical about its implementation. “Even a three-day reprieve from toll fee during the Sankranti season was not honoured at some of the toll gates,” says Mr B. T. Srinivas from Malkajgiri Welfare Association. “Commuters actually had to stage a protest for rightful implementation of the provision. The authorities might skip these rules this time. We need to wait and see how it is implemented.”
According to other changes, the new agency at the ORR also needs to bear power consumption charges of around Rs 35 lakh per month and any expenses incurred in repair of facilities because of mishandling and accidents at the toll gates. The agency should also provide housekeeping and security staff at all 19 toll administrative buildings. The monthly passes issued by IRB infrastructure developers limited, the previous toll-collecting agency, is to be migrated to Eagle Infra India Limited. Commuters holding existing monthly passes are supposed to surrender them to new toll collection agency.
- HMDA appointed a new toll collection agency, Eagle Infra India Limited, with effect from March 1
- Under the new rules if the number of vehicles in a lane exceeds 20 at any point of time, the agency has to clear the entire lane without collecting user fee.
- This is likely to benefit people during holidays, which see a lot of jams at the toll gates.
