NEW DELHI: Getting into Delhi inevitably takes a toll, either as a Rs 100 entry fee that those taking a cab must cough up, or in perpetual border jams everyone must face because of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) collecting the green tax.
After years of wasting precious time at the borders, relief could come the way of lakhs of commuters who travel between the capital and NCR cities every day through twin moves by the central govt.
One, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will ask MCD to shift all its toll collection points at the capital’s borders away from the main carriageways that block right of way (RoW) on the highways. Two of the busiest routes to and from the capital are national highways – NH48 connecting Delhi and Gurgaon, and NH9, which links Delhi to Ghaziabad and Noida.
Two, the road transport ministry and Haryana govt will move Supreme Court with a plea to move collection points away from borders as well as seek a modification of its 2015 order on the collection of environment compensation charge (ECC) from commercial goods vehicles. ECC is separate from entry tax. Cabs don’t pay it, but medium and heavy vehicles do. Collection of ECC by MCD at five points on national highways – at the Sirhaul border (Gurgaon), Ghazipur (NH9), Badarpur (NH19), Tikri (NH10) and Kundli (N44) – are a major cause of congestion.
NHAI, sources said, will also share a plan for gantry-based (overhead) collection of entry fee from commercial vehicles such as cabs, which will make physical toll plazas redundant. The roadmap for eliminating snarls at Delhi’s borders was firmed up at a recent meeting in the road transport ministry where representatives from the Centre, Delhi and Haryana govts were present. BJP is in office in all three.
Recently, road transport secretary V Umashankar had assured the parliamentary committee on transport that congestion on borders would be addressed when it raised the problem of long jams on the Delhi-Gurgaon border at Sirhaul. The ministry also told the parliamentary panel it would move Supreme Court to seek shifting of entry fee and green tax collection points from all border points, including Faridabad and Noida.
Sources told TOI since the highway administrator is empowered by law to issue directions for removal of any obstruction hampering RoW on a highway, NHAI will issue a notice to MCD and wait for the municipal body’s response before taking its next step. The overhead tolling plan involves automatic number plate recognition (ANPR)-based solutions. This will reduce waiting time for cabs.
In ANPR-based tolling, cameras installed on gantries across lanes are used to identify and read vehicle number plates. The toll is automatically deducted from the FASTag wallet. For this plan to work, NHAI and MCD will also have to align their FASTags. At present, MCD collectors use a different system, with toll collectors scanning vehicles’ registration plates with mobile phones.
ECC collection, source said, was discussed in detail at the meeting. The charge was introduced following the court order to reduce air pollution and improve public transport in the capital. ECC ranges between Rs 700 and Rs 1,300. Delhi govt allocated a share of the fund for the Delhi-Meerut rapid rail project on Supreme Court’s directions.
TOI has learnt that the plea will urge the apex court to abolish ECC, and if not, at least do away with the need for physical verification of ECC collection. “Since the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways are operational and these were built for commercial goods vehicles to bypass Delhi, there is a strong case to seek modification of the order. Agencies may seek collection of ECC from vehicles exiting from these expressways to enter Delhi. That will eliminate congestion on the borders,” a source said.
