MCD directed to collect toll via digital means at Gurugram border

MCD charges toll from commercial vehicles entering Delhi as a “green tax”, but collects the fees manually. This leads to massive traffic snarls on some of the major borders, especially Sirhaul, Singhu (Delhi-Haryana), and Ghazipur (Delhi-Uttar Pradesh).

The Union ministry of road transport and highways (Morth) has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to collect toll from commercial vehicles at the Delhi-Gurugram border at Sirhaul only via digital means — not manually. The decision, officials said, was taken to prevent traffic jams and congestion at the Sirhaul toll plaza, near the Ambience Mall on the Delhi-Jaipur expressway.

Vehicles stuck in a five-km long jam on the Delhi-Gurugram border last year. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Morth secretary V Umashankar issued the order during a meeting held at Transport Bhawan. GMDA CEO Shyamal Misra, Gurugram DCP (traffic) Virender Vij, and senior MCD and NHAI officials were also present.

A senior NHAI official privy to the proceedings at the meeting said, “MCD has been asked to implement gantry-based tolling so that vehicles owners can pay toll digitally, as is happening on NHAI toll plazas using FASTag.”

MCD charges toll from commercial vehicles entering Delhi as a “green tax”, but collects the fees manually. This leads to massive traffic snarls on some of the major borders, especially Sirhaul, Singhu (Delhi-Haryana), and Ghazipur (Delhi-Uttar Pradesh).

Vij said that automatic tolling at Sirhaul will help reduce congestion at the border.

“We had also raised the issue of getting access to the cameras installed on Delhi Gurgaon expressway to the traffic command and control centre, and this was also approved in the meeting,” he said.

The NHAI official quoted above said during the meeting, the Morth secretary also directed NHAI to examine a proposal to shift the Kherki Daula toll plaza, an issue which was raised by Misra.

“The matter of shifting Kherki Daula toll plaza was raised in the meeting following which directions were issued to NHAI to examine the shifting of toll plaza near Pachgaon,” the official said.