Gurgaon: User fees on the Delhi-Gurgaon section of NH-8 have been increased — an exercise that officials say is routine — though residents of new sectors have been demanding that the Kherki Daula toll plaza should be shifted out of the city.
One-time toll for passenger vehicles remains unchanged at Rs 85, but starting April 1, the charge for a monthly pass will go up to Rs 950 from Rs 930 earlier.
The hike comes two weeks after the Union road transport and highways ministry, in response to a question in Parliament, said that toll collected since 2003 on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway – which includes Kherki Daula – is approximately 9% higher than costs incurred. Rs 2,489 crore was spent on construction and maintenance of this section of the highway, and toll collection is around Rs 2,775 crore, the ministry disclosed.
In 2017, Union minister Nitin Gadkari announced that Kherki Daula toll plaza will be shifted towards Jaipur. So far, there is no timeline for the plaza’s relocation though a site in Panchgaon is being studied for a possible shift.
A single-trip fee for light commercial vehicles and minibuses will now cost Rs 125, from Rs 120 earlier, and the monthly pass will go up to Rs 1,850 instead of Rs 1,805.
For buses (two-axle), trucks and multi-axle vehicles, a single trip will cost Rs 255 instead of Rs 250, a 2% increase. The cost of a monthly pass will be Rs 3,770, up from Rs 3,675, from the next month.
Officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said on Friday that the toll was revised under National Road Fee Regulations of 2008.
“The toll rates are revised annually to align with inflation and maintenance costs. These adjustments are necessary to ensure smooth highway operations and timely repairs,” a senior NHAI official said. “Despite having the same govt at the Centre and state, the toll plaza at Kherki Daula has not been shifted, even after multiple assurances from both the govts in the last few years. The construction cost was already recovered, yet there is no sign of its closure or relocation to the designated site in Panchgaon. Despite being the nearest society from the toll plaza, more than 600 families bear the additional cost whenever they step out. We urge the govt to expedite relocation of the toll plaza and, in the interim, grant free passes to all society residents,” said Ravikant Sharma, a resident of Umang Winter Hills.
