Gurgaon: 5,000 cars to get pass for free passage across Kherki Daula toll plaza

The move ostensibly aims to curb the flow of vehicle owners who have been misusing the exemption clause and are not paying the toll. The move is likely to be implemented by July-end. Residents of 31 villages have been exempted from paying toll at the Kherki Daula toll plaza.

The concessionaire of the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway has decided to issue free-pass tags to over 5,000 cars and other vehicles that belong to residents of villages exempt from paying the toll.

Over 1.25 lakh vehicles cross the Kherki Daula toll plaza daily and as per a detailed analysis conducted by highway concessionaire MCEPL, there are 80,000 vehicles from which toll can be charged. (HT File Photo)

Residents of 31 villages have been exempted from paying toll at the Kherki Daula toll plaza.

The move ostensibly aims to curb the flow of vehicle owners who have been misusing the exemption clause and are not paying the toll. The move is likely to be implemented by July-end.

Over 1.25 lakh vehicles cross the Kherki Daula toll plaza daily and as per a detailed analysis conducted by highway concessionaire MCEPL, there are 80,000 vehicles from which toll can be charged. However, only 72,000 are paying the toll whereas 8,000 vehicles have been found not paying the toll, officials said.

“An analysis was conducted for 10 days based on specific vehicles and numbers, and it was observed that 8,000 vehicles, which cross the toll plaza daily, were not paying the toll. Further, it was found that 5,000 of these vehicles are from exempted villages whereas 3,000 vehicle owners passed through by making excuses, showing false documents and other such methods,” said S Raghuraman, CEO of MCEPL.

The toll authorities said that a large number of commercial vehicles are also using duplicate papers to claim exemption from the toll.

After analysing the statistics, MCEPL has now decided that 5,000 vehicles belonging to 31 villages will be given free-pass tags. “We will soon initiate the process, by mid-July, and give tags to the locals. However, the other vehicle owners will now face a stiff penalty,” said Raghuraman.

He said that they will approach the police for registering complaints against those not paying the toll.

The highway concessionaire has also decided to hold meetings with the sarpanch and other members of the panchayat of these villages to streamline the process of issuing the free-pass tags. “Operators of commercial vehicles and those using fake or duplicate papers to get exemption should refrain from doing so as it could lead to prosecution in the future,” said Raghuraman.

MCEPL has the right to collect toll at the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway till 2023 as per the contract with National Highways Authority of India.