Hiked toll collection begins on Delhi-Meerut Expressway

In the last week of March, the NHAI revised the toll rate for covering the 59.77km stretch -- from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Kashi toll plaza in Meerut -- to ₹150 for four-wheelers like cars and jeeps, up from the ₹140 decided on March 25.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Friday began collecting toll on the Delhi Meerut Expressway (DME), with officials saying that about 11,000 vehicles passed through the tolling booths on the first day.

A view of the toll plaza on Delhi Meerut Expressway near Dasna in Ghaziabad. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

“On the first day till 4pm, about 11,000 vehicles passed through toll booths between Dasna (in Ghaziabad) and Kashi toll plaza (at Meerut) and tolls were directly deducted from the FASTags. There are no cash lanes and any vehicle not having FASTags will have to pay double the amount of the entire expressway stretch as penalty,” said Arvind Kumar, project director from NHAI.

In the last week of March, the NHAI revised the toll rate for covering the 59.77km stretch -- from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Kashi toll plaza in Meerut -- to ₹150 for four-wheelers like cars and jeeps, up from the ₹140 decided on March 25. To be sure, the notification identifies the toll stretch between Dasna (in Ghaziabad) and Meerut, and no rate have been notified so far from Dasna to Sarai Kale Khan. This will exempt local commuters in this stretch from paying any toll for now. A one-way trip between Dasna and Meerut will cost ₹70 for a four-wheeler and ₹105 for a to-way trip.

NHAI officials said DME is the first stretch where vehicles will not have to stop to pay tolls as, in addition to FASTag scanners, the toll booths are equipped with automatic number plate readers (ANPRs) to note the registration numbers of the vehicles.

“It is estimated that there were about 5-7% of vehicles which did not have FASTags. So, they were required to pay up the penalty,” Kumar added.

The tolling on DME was originally supposed to start from December 25 last year but it got delayed.

The DME has seven entry/exit points: at Sarai Kale Khan, Indirapuram, Dundahera (Vijay Nagar), Dasna, Rasoolpur Sikrod, Bhojpur and main toll plaza at Kashi in Meerut.

The 59.77km, 14-lane DME comprises three phases — phase 1 links Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi and UP Gate in Ghaziabad, phase 2 connects UP Gate and Dasna in Ghaziabad, while phase 4, a six-lane 32-km access-controlled alignment, connects Dasna to Meerut. Phase 3 links Dasna in Ghaziabad to Hapur and the stretch is already operational.

According to official estimates, phase 1 can cater to a maximum of about 120,000 passenger car units (PCUs) per day; phase 2 for about 60,000 PCUs per day; and phase 4 for around 40,000 PCUs per day.