5 years on, Gurgaon eway earns Rs.854 cr

After being thrown open to the public in January 2008, the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway has earned toll tax worth Rs.854 crore till December 31 last year — covering a large portion of its initial construction investment of Rs.1,240 crore. Sanjeev K Ahuja reports.

After being thrown open to the public in January 2008, the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway has earned toll tax worth Rs.854 crore till December 31 last year — covering a large portion of its initial construction investment of Rs.1,240 crore.

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Tax is collected on this stretch at three toll plazas — Delhi border (Sirhaul), Kherki Daula and Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) loop.

Given the current traffic volume and previous toll collection figures, the concessionaire, Delhi Gurgaon Super Connectivity Limited (DGSCL), will recover its initial investment within six years of starting operations by January next year. The concessionaire owns rights to collect tax for 20 years — till 2028.

As per the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) records, the toll plaza bordering Delhi is the top revenue earner with monthly toll collection of about Rs.11 crore.

While the Kherki Daula toll plaza collects about Rs.6 crore every month, the IGIA booth generates about Rs.8-9 lakh every month.

About 2.1 lakh vehicles cross the 32-lane expressway daily. The figure excludes two-three wheelers, tractors, slow-moving and exempted vehicles.

The move came after the concessionaire failed to take adequate measures to deal with traffic congestion.

The DGSCL also shares revenue on a 50:50 basis if the number of vehicles crosses 1.30 lakh in a day.

In 2002, the NHAI had awarded this built-operate-transfer (BoT) project to Jaypee DSC Limited (now DGSCL).

It spent about Rs.1,240 crore on the expressway but later also loan of Rs.1,600 crore against the project from a group of lenders, including IDFC.