E-Paper
DND Expressway toll hiked, be prepared for change hassles
From November 1 midnight, a car drive (for other vehicles, see box) on DND Flyway will cost you Rs 22 instead of the current Rs 20. This is not all. There are fears of jams, as the new transactions would involve use of coins.
From November 1 midnight, a car drive (for other vehicles, see box) on DND Flyway will cost you Rs 22 instead of the current Rs 20. This is not all. There are fears of jams, as the new transactions would involve use of coins.
The 10% hike comes eight months after the Noida Toll Bridge Company Limited (NTBCL) effected and, under pressure, rolled back a 25% hike in toll tax. “We’re in talk with three banks for the coins. We’re also looking at issuing tokens to cars before they reach the toll plaza, for which we’re increasing our manpower,” said an NTBCL official.
About one lakh vehicles use DND Flyway every day. Of them 75,000 are cars, of which only 25,000 cars are card holders. “More car owners will be encouraged to use pre-paid cards,” said the official.
The company’s board of directors’ meeting on October 20 for the toll hike was also attended by Noida Authority CEO Balvinder Kumar. The NTBCL wanted a 25% hike, a
proposal refused by the authority. "We needed to hike the rates to ensure better quality of service and safety to commuters," the NBTCL official said.
Toll rates have been hiked after 20 months, though there have been several unsuccessful attempts in the past.
The official claimed that after the Gurgaon toll plaza murder, a lot of money was being spent on improving security. “Plus, we’re revamping the link in view of the F1 race,” he said.
