Two additional toll booths set up at Kherki Daula

Move by concessionaire surprises industry owners as they wait for NHAI to shift toll plaza to Sehrawan by March-end; NHAI refuses to comment

The concessionaire of the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, the Millennium City Expressway Limited (MCEPL), has set up two additional toll booths on the Manesar to Gurgaon stretch.

The additional booths and lanes have been created only for commuters with tags, i.e, villagers who don’t have to pay toll. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has refused to comment on the move even as the MCEPL says the decision to add lanes at an extra cost when the plaza is set to be moved was not its.

A senior MCEPL executive told Hindustan Times that the additional booths have been created only for commuters with tags, i.e, villagers who don’t have to pay toll.

“These booths have been created for the Manesar to Gurgaon traffic at Kherki Daula Toll Plaza following a direction from the NHAI. We cannot comment on the plan to shift the toll plaza,” said an MCEPL executive, seeking anonymity as he is not authorised to speak with the media.

The development has surprised the industry owners. Additionally, the NHAI had denied any plan of creating additional lanes for this stretch as recently as December 10.

The demand to move the toll was primarily raised by the industry owners who have to spend hours just to move in and out of the manufacturing hub.

The development hints at a possible delay in the shifting of the toll from Kherki Daula.

To shift the toll by March end, the NHAI must address concessionaire’s revenue loss and problems related to land acquisition.

The NHAI officials said they are in talks with the concessionaire to devise a plan for shifting the plaza, which would cost the MCEPL 44% of its revenue, and would come up with a solution soon.

However, the bigger problem that could delay the shift is the Manesar panchayat’s resistance in parting with the 59 acres they say they have. The claim comes even as NHAI project director for the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway Ashok Kumar Sharma tweeted on Tuesday: “This is a fact that the 65 acre 5 kanal and 14 marla land required for construction of new toll plaza at Sehrawan has been transferred to the NHAI vide deputy commissioner (DC) office Gurgaon letter dated December 26, 2017 and the NHAI will take possession of the land shortly (sic).”

Last time, the MCEPL has created three extra toll lanes for the Gurgaon-Manesar stretch was in April last year when the NHAI and state government’s plan to buy off the plaza from the concessionaire had failed. Since then, the state government has not been able to make much headway in shifting the plaza.

Toll timeline

Jan 2008: Kherki Daula toll becomes operational

Jan 2017: NHAI, Haryana govt plan to buy off the toll, but plan fails

April-May 2017: MCEPL creates three extra lanes for Gurgaon-Manesar stretch

Aug 2017: Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari announces shifting Kherki toll to Sehrawan

Sept 2017: Panel set up to execute shifting

Dec 26 2017: CM Manohar Lal Khattar says 65 acres transferred to NHAI

Jan 1 2018: Manesar panchayat rebuts claim

Jan 2 2018: NHAI project director for Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway tweets land in question already transferred; panchayat sticks to its guns