Delhi: Villagers protest toll at UER-2 Mundka-Bakkarwala plaza

Residents near Mundka-Bakkarwala toll plaza protest for toll exemption, claiming alternative routes are inadequate and traffic has worsened.

Residents of several villages held a protest near the Mundka-Bakkarwala toll plaza on the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-2) on Sunday demanding exemption from toll charges. The protesters, who live in nearby villages through which the road passes, also held a protest over the issue on August 26 after which the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) reportedly asked them time till August 31 to fulfil their demands.

Delhi: Villagers protest toll at UER-2 Mundka-Bakkarwala plaza

“Today we have been told that Union minister Nitin Gadkari is not in Delhi. We will send a delegation to meet him on September 2 to discuss the matter,” said Vijay Mann, a resident of Mundka. He added that the locals had formed a committee with 11 representatives from every affected village to discuss the issue.

Mann said that a delegation from the committee of villages had met Public Works Department (PWD) minister Parvesh Verma on Friday. Mann said that Verma had told them that he along with Mundka MLA Gajendar Singh Drall, West Delhi MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat, and North West Delhi MP Yogender Chandolia would meet Gadkari on Tuesday.

NHAI had started charging the toll from August 23. The rates for return journeys are ₹350 for light motor vehicles such as cars, and utility vehicles, and a monthly pass is being offered to residents of villages within 20km of the toll plaza at the same rate, totalling ₹4,200 for a year. Residents from villages such as Bakarwala, Mundka, Rani Kheda, Rasoolpur, Madanpur, and Dabas, among others, have been protesting against this.

“If I have to go to Bakkarwala village, then this route is the most direct one. The others are broken and waterlogged. Weddings, functions, farming - we have to travel this route multiple times a day, so how can we pay the toll every time?” said Roshan Lal, a Mundka resident.

“It has caused a huge problem as everyone enters the villages to take alternative routes and avoid paying the toll – bikes, taxis, and even tempos and trucks – causing big traffic jams. Two days ago, a child was about to be hit by a car and narrowly escaped,” said Narendar Kumar, from Hiran Kudna village. Villagers added that the high influx of cars also increases pollution in the area.

Solanki Ram Kumar, the president of Palam 360 Khap, a body of many village panchayats in Delhi, was also present at the protest. “In other areas of Delhi, the residents of nearby villages do not pay a toll, so why is this being done here? Additionally, the u-turns on either side of the toll are currently closed, and should be opened up. If anyone reaches the toll accidentally, they should have the option to turn around,” he said.

NHAI did not respond to requests for a comment.

“The protests are unwarranted as alternative toll free routes exist and it is up to the political class to address the protesters,” an NHAI official, requesting anonymity, had said about the previous protest.

Residents said that if their demands are not met in Tuesday’s meeting, then they will hold an indefinite protest in front of the toll plaza. “We think the expressway is a great thing. We are only against us paying the toll,” said Dharemendar from Bakkarwalla village.