Toll collection on NH 44 hit hard by farmers' protest

According to data, earlier, around 60,000- 70,000 vehicles used to pass through the Murthal toll plaza of National Highway 44 raking in revenues between Rs 50 lakh and 70 lakh that has now been reduced to a mere Rs 15 lakh.

Sonipat:Toll plazas on the National Highway 44 and expressway are bearing the brunt due to the ongoing farmers' protests with revenues coming down by lakhs of rupees this month harming the state exchequer.

The protestors are stationed at Punjab-Delhi and Haryana-Delhi borders affecting the vehicular movement and traffic congestion.

Murthal toll plaza for more than one week now has reported 50 per cent less vehicle movement directly bringing down the revenue collection.

In case, the situation continues, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will have to bear the expenses. At the same time, Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) will have to bear the loss of Kundli Manesar Palwal (KMP) Expressway.

According to data, earlier, around 60,000- 70,000 vehicles used to pass through the Murthal toll plaza of National Highway 44 raking in revenues between Rs 50 lakh and 70 lakh that has now been reduced to a mere Rs 15 lakh.

Several routes have been diverted from Panipat and no recovery or toll collection is made from farmers' tractors.

This comes amid shutting down of various connecting routes to Delhi reducing vehicles movement by thousands daily. About 50,000 vehicles used to pass on Kundli–Ghaziabad–Palwal (KGP) Expressway daily, which has now been reduced to about 40,000 vehicles.

Due to this, toll collection of up to 10 lakh rupees only is being done on KGP. At the same time, with only 30,000 vehicles using KMP instead of 40,000, the daily toll collection is reduced by Rs 10 lakh.

NHAI's technical manager Anand Dahiya said that due to farmer agitation the three toll plazas in Sonipat are making less revenue. The government is not affected by the KGP, as it is running under the BOT project under which the company making the expressway is allowed to collect toll for a regular period. But the national treasury is being adversely affected.