Residents worry over toll on Greater Noida expressway

The authorities plan to handover the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, also known as Gautam Buddha Expressway, to Jaypee Infrastructure has the residents worried. The move will make it part of the Yamuna Expressway and burden residents with a toll tax.

The authorities plan to handover the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, also known as Gautam Buddha Expressway, to Jaypee Infrastructure has the residents worried. The move will make it part of the Yamuna Expressway and burden residents with a toll tax.

HT Image

The 23.5-km-long expressway, which connects Delhi to Greater Noida via Noida without having to pay taxes, may cost R1,200 every month.

“Toll tax is levied to recover the cost of the road. But the Greater Noida expressway has been operational for the past six years. While calculating land rates, authorities add expenses on road, sewer and other infrastructure development issues to fix the allotment amount. Over these years, its cost has already been recovered from the allotments,” Rupa Gupta, president, Greater Noida Mahilla Samajik Samiti, said.

“The tax proposal will put an extra burden of around R50 per day as the expressway is imperative for connectivity,” Gupta added.

“According to the concession agreement, this 22-km stretch will be handed over to Jaypee Infratech. The firm will widen it to four lanes and maintain the expressway too. The company will pay the cost of this stretch to the authority in 15 years,” said Y.K. Bahl, additional chief executive officer, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority.

“At present, the expressway has become accident prone. Cattle move on the expressway unhindered. The Jaypee Infratech has proposed a plan to construct foot-over-bridges and underpasses to improve connectivity for sectors along the expressways,” Bahl added.
“There will be no fee as these vehicles will move on service roads,” Bahl added.