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More vehicles but Outer Ring Road toll agency pays less

The previous agency had the project for Rs 26.01 crore when, on an average, 1,04,164 vehicles hit ORR.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority has handed over a toll collection project of Rs 24.262 crore per month despite increase in vehicle volume on the Outer Ring Road.

The previous agency had the project for Rs 26.01 crore when, on an average, 1,04,164 vehicles hit ORR. That agreement ends on February 23. The private agency that is taking over the project, after participating in a bidding process, has to pay Rs 87 lakh per day to the municipal authority. This despite vehicle volume on the ORR increasing from 1,04,164 vehicles a day earlier to 1,69,047 vehicles a day now, according to HMDA data.

Surprisingly, according to ORR general manager Mr B. Ravinder, the traffic volume remained same at 1,04,164 since a year. According to highly placed sources in the HMDA, despite increase of revenue potential on ORR, municipal authorities with vested interests have handed over a toll collection deal for Rs 3 crore less to benefit the private agency.

Under the new deal, HMDA will suffer a loss of Rs 36 crore annually despite increase in vehicle volume.

ORR general manager Mr Ravinder said that M/s IRB Infrastructure Developer Ltd had earlier bagged the ORR toll collection project for a period of nine months after successfully participating in the bidding process. Mr Ravinder said previously the project was handed for a monthly amount of Rs 26.01 crore, which was the highest amount in a tender process when minimum upset price was set at Rs 21.25 crore.

He said that now the minimum bidding amount has been set at Rs 23.04 crore per month and the toll collection project has been given to M/s Eagle Infra for Rs 24.62 crore (highest bidder).

Mr Ravinder said the earlier bidders greedily increased the auction amount and failed to repay the same on time for which HMDA had to penalise them on several occasions.

He said M/s Eagle Infra participated in the bidding process after successfully conducting a traffic volume study for a week and bagged the project.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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