Hyderabad: Motorists travelling on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) complained against the wrongful deduction of toll fee from their FASTags. They complained that the automated e-toll system has been bleeding commuters by extracting additional amounts of money.
Commuters complain that both HMDA and the private agency that operates the tolls disown responsibility for false deductions and passes on the buck to banks.
Sharing his experience, Mr Sudhansu Sahu, a commuter, said, “Every day I am getting an incorrect deduction at ORR toll plaza (TSPA/Kokapet). Instead of Rs10, I am charged Rs70. If I forget to raise the refund claim within 40 days, the refund is not accepted. Already Rs500 has been deducted in excess,” he said. He provided three trip numbers showing the excess deductions — 382268040, 382831-444, 384553001, 385088173.
Mr Vikas, another commuter said that he was charged Rs70 against the usual toll of Rs30 for travelling from the Shamirpet entry into the ORR to the Medak exit. “I would have instead paid cash,” he said.
An HMDA official admitted there have been numerous complaints from commuters. He said that HMDA has no role to play in the excess deductions and it is the private agency managing the toll plazas that looks after the FASTag mechanism.
He did say that malfunctioning FASTag scanners at entry and exit points are leading to additional deductions. There are no instructions from the National Highways Authority of India about what to do in such cases.
Representatives from the private agency that manages the toll plazas said that the issue could only be answered by the banks or whoever issues the FASTag.
