‘Traffic jams cause loss to industries in Manesar’

The Kherki Daula toll plaza is affecting the productivity of factories and firms based in Manesar, according to a study commissioned by industrialists in Manesar. The study also found that the toll plaza is harming the environment of the area.

The Kherki Daula toll plaza is affecting the productivity of factories and firms based in Manesar, according to a study commissioned by industrialists in Manesar. The study also found that the toll plaza is harming the environment of the area.

The cost of man hours lost yearly because of waiting at the toll plaza is approximately Rs 579 crore for 10 minutes, as per the study. (Abhinav Saha/ HT photo)

The study, Impact of Kherki Daula Toll Plaza on New Gurgaon Region, was carried out in December 2015.

It revealed that the cost of man hours lost yearly because of waiting at the toll plaza is approximately Rs 579 crore if a commuter waits for 10 minutes and it escalates to over Rs 800 crore if the wait is around 15 minutes.

IT parks and commercial spaces in Manesar are also losing their sheen as the firms’ cost of employees increases because they have to reimburse the toll fees, stated the study.

Nimish Arora, CEO of information technology park Cyber Walk, said the cost of office space increases by Rs 5 to Rs 35 per square foot depending on the mode of travel by the employees.

“If the employees travel by bus, the cost is less. But if they use personal cars the cost increases. There is an additional cost of fuel wastage, air and sound pollution that is making manufacturing and real estate businesses unviable in Manesar,” said Arora.

The findings of the study were presented during a high-powered meeting of state bureaucrats and other stakeholders held in Chandigarh recently to discuss the Kherki Daula toll plaza.

Residents of areas in and around the toll plaza allege that there has been an increase in pollution levels in the region as nearly 75,000 vehicles stop at the toll every day for more than 15 minutes.

The study estimated that almost 28,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases are released at the toll plaza in a year due to the stoppage of vehicles.

According to the study, 4,500 acre of forest will be needed to compensate for the air pollution caused at the toll plaza every year.