Kherki Daula: Delhi Police personnel block toll plaza after being denied free passage, cause congestion

Personnel of the Delhi Police blocked three service lanes at the Kherki Daula toll plaza for around 45 minutes during the peak hour on Wednesday morning, causing heavy congestion at the toll, after being denied free passage

Personnel of the Delhi Police blocked three service lanes at the Kherki Daula toll plaza for around 45 minutes during the peak hour on Wednesday morning, causing heavy congestion at the toll, after being denied free passage, officials of the concessionaire said.

Three lanes of the Kherki Daula toll plaza were allegedly blocked by the Delhi Police personnel during the morning rush hour after they were denied free passage.

The issue was resolved after the Gurugram police personnel intervened, reopening the lanes and allowing their Delhi counterparts to pass through.

Officials of the Millennium City Expressway Private Limited (MCEPL), the highway concessionaire, said that as per the protocols set by the National Highways Authority of India, Delhi Police personnel are not exempted from paying the toll.

Sohrab Khan, an MCEPL official, said that around 9am, a few persons in three separate cars refused to pay the toll and demanded exemption claiming that they were personnel of the Delhi Police. “When the toll agents refused to let the vehicles pass through the plaza, these persons who were wearing the uniform of Delhi Police entered into an argument with the toll staff. Finally they blocked lanes 26, 27 and 28, and this went for around 45 minutes,” Khan said.

MCEPL officials said that vehicular movement slowed down from 9am to 10am and congestion was witnessed at the toll plaza after three lanes on the Delhi to Jaipur side were blocked. It was only after the intervention of Gurugram police that the matter was resolved and service lanes opened.

When asked, officials of the Delhi Police refused to comment on the matter.

Kherki Daula toll plaza witnesses heavy movement of traffic during peak hours in the morning and evening and around 100,000 vehicles pass through the plaza daily.

MCEPL officials said that they had to divert the traffic to side lanes to ensure movement of vehicles and finally call the city police to resolve the matter. “We sought assistance from local police to get the service lanes opened,” Khan said.

The Gurugram police said that there was a minor argument between staffers at the toll plaza and Delhi Police personnel, which was resolved later. “The matter was reported to us. Some officials of Delhi Police had a minor argument with the toll staff over exemption, which was sorted out. We have not received any written complaint,” Krishan Kant, the station house officer of Kherki Daula police station, said.