Commuters on Gurugram-F’bad road to shell out more as toll taxes increase
According to the new rates, a car will now have to pay ₹45 for a single journey and ₹60 for the return journey
Thousands of commuters using the Gurugram-Faridabad Road will now have to shell out more toll taxes as the authorities have increased the fees for commercial and private vehicles from June 29 onwards. The hike in the toll fee varies from 20% to 30% and has been increased after three years, as per the concession agreement, said Haryana PWD officials.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Road has four toll plazas, which are located at Bandhwari, Crusher Zone Road, and the remaining two plazas are at Ballabhgarh and Sohna Road.
According to the new rates notified by PWD, Haryana, a private car or jeep owner will now have to pay ₹45 for a single journey and ₹60 for the return journey, while the previous rates were ₹30 for a single journey and ₹45 for the return journey on this road. The fee for a monthly pass for a private car has been increased to ₹800 while earlier it was ₹600.
For a commercial car, the new rates will be ₹45 for a single journey and ₹60 for the return journey. The fee for a monthly pass has been increased from ₹900 to ₹1200. The toll for buses has been increased from ₹150 to ₹170 for a single journey while the rate for the return trip has been increased from ₹225 to ₹255. The fee for a monthly pass has been increased from ₹4,500 to ₹5,100.
The toll for the other category of vehicles such as multi-axle trucks, tractor trollies, light commercial vehicles has also been revised, as per the notification.
An estimated one lakh commuters use the Gurugram-Faridabad expressway daily out of whom 55,000 pay toll at the Bandhwari toll plaza, said an official of the concessionaire. “The toll rates have been revised according to the contract which allows for revision every three years,” said Balkrishna Prasad, an official of concessionaire, GF Toll Roads Pvt Ltd.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Road is used by commuters from Gurugram, Faridabad, Delhi and residents of several villages along this road such as Mangar, Pali, Surajkund, Gwal Pahari, Ghata, Bandhwari and neighbouring Delhi villages such as Chhattarpur, Mehrauli, and Sultanpur. A larger number of condominium residents of Vatsal Valley coming up near Gwalior Pahari also use this road to reach Gurugram, Delhi and NCR.
PWD executive engineer, Charanjeet Singh, said that the toll has been increased on the Gurugram-Faridabad expressway after a period of three years as per the concession agreement between the Haryana government and concessionaire. “The toll has been revised as per the government notification. In order to make it easier for vehicle owners to pay toll, we are working to introduce a FASTag system on this toll plaza as well, which will be on the lines of NHAI toll taxes. The proposal is under consideration of the Haryana government and we are working to get it implemented on priority,” he said.
The new toll fee shall remain in force till May 30, 2026, according to the notification.
The increase in toll taxes, however, has not gone down well with commuters, who said that while rates have been increased no effort has been made to accelerate the movement of vehicles at the Bandhwari toll plaza, which witnesses congestion during peak hours. “The toll rates have been increased but what about maintaining the road. The green belts on both sides are in bad shape, garbage is strewn upto 3 kilometres from Bandhwari to the toll plaza. The quality of road has gone down while toll is increasing,” said Vaishali Chandra Rana, who lives in a condominium along this road.
Dheeraj Tanwar, a resident of Gwal Pahari said that there are no streetlights on the road, the green belts are damaged, and wild animals often wander on the road. “The authorities must improve the facilities, make the road safer and ensure FASTags are introduced at the earliest on this road,” he said.