Opening of other roads, exits causing loss: Kherki Daula toll plaza operator

The opening of KMP Expressway, Southern Peripheral Road (SPR), Northern Peripheral Road (NPR)as well as as exits to connect them, near the Kherki Daula toll plaza in the last quarter of 2018, has led to a loss of revenue due to the reduction of vehicular traffic for highway concessionaire Millennium City Expressway Private Ltd (MCEPL). The concessionaire has the contract for collecting toll at the Kherki Daula toll plaza till 2023. Its representative said Friday said that for the last six months, it was losing an average ₹9 lakh daily as toll collection fee due to drivers rerouting their vehicles to other roads rather than passing the toll plaza. The analysis of the last six months’ data will now be submitted to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to press for the closure of the exits at SPR and NPR that connect to Dwarka Expressway, the MCEPL said.

“The loss of revenue has increased significantly after the opening of SPR and NPR exits as commuters are able to bypass the toll plaza,” said S Raghuraman, CEO, MCEPL.

As per data shared by the concessionaire, the average daily traffic per day in 2018 prior to the opening of the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran sector road parallel to the SPR and Dwarka Expressway was 83,228 vehicles. The average revenue collected by the concessionaire was ₹46 lakh per day. However, after analysing six months’ worth of data post the opening of these roads to traffic, it was found that the traffic at Kherki Daula toll plaza fell to an average of 67,815 vehicles per day, thus bringing down the average daily revenue to about ₹37 lakh.

Officials said the company had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court opposing the opening of these exits. The firm also said that it had issued free tags to 18,738 vehicles in 31 villages, of which 15,578 vehicles are using the free facility regularly at the toll plaza.

Meanwhile, residents of developing sectors as well as activists have been demanding the removal of the Kherki Daula toll plaza, saying that the losses suffered by the concessionaire were less than the problems faced by the people. Prakhar Sahai, an activist, said, “The government itself had the SPR/NPR exits opened as people can’t be made to suffer forever,” he added.