Tussle between taxi drivers and MCD toll operators stall traffic on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway

The jam left cars backed up for almost 5kms, confirmed officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and traffic police.

A tussle between a group of taxi drivers and Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) toll operators at the Sirhaul toll plaza Tuesday morning led to a traffic jam on the Gurugram side of Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. The jam left cars backed up for almost 5kms, confirmed officials of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and traffic police.

An official in the NHAI control room said that the altercation had arisen after a cab driver refused to pay the full toll amount, leading to a heated exchange of words between the toll operator and the driver and eventually a physical scuffle broke out. (File Photo)

Assistant commissioner of police, traffic (highways), Hira Singh said, “There was an altercation between taxi drivers and some MCD toll operators at the toll checkpost around 11am on the carriageway leading to Delhi. Since the fight took place in Delhi municipal limit (right after the toll), Delhi police was called to defuse the situation. There was certainly some inconvenience, but we were able to get the traffic moving again in less than an hour.”

An official in the NHAI control room said that the altercation had arisen after a cab driver refused to pay the full toll amount, leading to a heated exchange of words between the toll operator and the driver and eventually a physical scuffle broke out.

“Following this, in a show of support, some other cab drivers joined in and blocked the road on the Delhi side,” an official in the NHAI control room said, adding that the traffic normalised after police intervention.