[jealousdiamond]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

the one on the route between Chandni Chowk & Mulshi.

Originally Posted by jealousdiamond

just as you cross Bavdhan from Chandani Chowk .

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

That toll booth is illegal.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Even at the Chandni chowk one

It goes back to these days(2010) and still they are charging people for what is illegal . .

PMC orders ouster of toll plaza from its limits - Times Of India

[vina]

how does it work? don't they have to raise the barrier to let the vehicle pass? If they are not issuing receipts too often wouldn't the toll company know?

[Cesc]

On the topic under question - it may not necessarily be that the person manning the toll gate is making a quick buck. The owner of the booth (the constructor of the tolled road) may themselves have asked people manning the booths to underreport the number of vehicles to understate their income from the tolled road. NHAI believes that this is exactly what is happening on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. NHAI has a revenue sharing agreement with the concessionaire if the number of vehicles cross the 1 lakh per day limit. The actual number these days is closer to 2 lakhs but the concessionaire is deliberately under-reporting so that it shells out less amount to NHAI. Which is why NHAI is contemplating installing cameras of their own on each toll booth. Having said that, I as a commuter have ALWAYS got a receipt at the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Exactly!
Another eg. is the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway. There is no security as such on the highway, the road condition is in shambles and yet toll is being increased. And mind you, the Delhi-Gurgaon toll is one place which has plenty vehicles on either side dispite having some 40-odd counters.

While I would agree that there is no security on the highway I wouldn't say that the expressway's road condition is in shambles. On the contrary it is pretty good. How long will it stay that way is another question though.

[vina]

Originally Posted by Cesc

On the topic under question - it may not necessarily be that the person manning the toll gate is making a quick buck. The owner of the booth (the constructor of the tolled road) may themselves have asked people manning the booths to underreport the number of vehicles to understate their income from the tolled road. NHAI believes that this is exactly what is happening on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. NHAI has a revenue sharing agreement with the concessionaire if the number of vehicles cross the 1 lakh per day limit. The actual number these days is closer to 2 lakhs but the concessionaire is deliberately under-reporting so that it shells out less amount to NHAI. Which is why NHAI is contemplating installing cameras of their own on each toll booth. Having said that, I as a commuter have ALWAYS got a receipt at the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.

This may be the answer to my post above. It doesn't seem to be possible for the booth owners to not know what is going on (I mean, wouldn't their computers register how many times the barrier opened up and tally that with the cash collected?) - and if they know and still don't fire the clerks they must be benefiting too.

Originally Posted by Cesc

While I would agree that there is no security on the highway I wouldn't say that the expressway's road condition is in shambles. On the contrary it is pretty good. How long will it stay that way is another question though.

Nit picking here , but shouldn't it be "a shambles" rather than "in shambles".

[sgiitk]

Just a thought. All this counting of opening etc. is useless, since almost every sarkari Tom, Dick & Harry has exemptions! The gate opens and close, and the burra saheb goes through. There goes your count.

[mmxylorider]

A list of people not required to pay toll is put up prior to the plaza (armed forces, sitting members of govt etc) so there would be an override option available to operator to open the barricade and pass them through. I've not observed them doing anything like capturing details of the exempt vehicle. Wouldn't that make it easy enough to pocket the money and indicate an exempt vehicle has passed through?

[vina]

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

A list of people not required to pay toll is put up prior to the plaza (armed forces, sitting members of govt etc) so there would be an override option available to operator to open the barricade and pass them through. I've not observed them doing anything like capturing details of the exempt vehicle. Wouldn't that make it easy enough to pocket the money and indicate an exempt vehicle has passed through?

Even with this, the corruption can be detected unless it is very very small scale (in which case the cost of detection may be higher than the money saved) - Just looking at the statistical patterns of the overrides will give enough clues. e.g. the exceptions guys can not be more than a few percents of the overall numbers. Also they will tend to approach the booths randomly, so averages of one booth differing from others widely indicates problem especially if rotating the operators between booths rotates the patterns.

[Spitfire]

If everyone pays what they are supposed to and asks for a receipt the scam will never happen.

People get greedy for Rs 5 saved and don't take the receipt creating the scam. The toll operators are just feeding on this failing of the people passing through.

Next time pay right and get the receipt. Simple.

[vina]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

If everyone pays what they are supposed to and asks for a receipt the scam will never happen.

People get greedy for Rs 5 saved and don't take the receipt creating the scam. The toll operators are just feeding on this failing of the people passing through.

Next time pay right and get the receipt. Simple.

I don't think people get greedy over Rs. 5, most people don't anyway. I think it is more of apathy - people just don't care.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

My mistake. The NH4 toll plaza is not illegal. Just wanted to bring out the point about not being required to pay toll.

Wow, thats news to me too. I have been asked to pay at that toll plaza though mine is a MH12 registered vehicle. I have also seen other MH12 & 14 registered vehicles paying there. I will ensure I protest the next time they ask me to pay.

An interesting incident at that toll plaza a few weeks ago. There was the usual huge queue of vehicles on a Saturday till a white car convoy came along. Within a few minutes, the gates were lifted and all vehicles were asked to go without paying toll as the convoy had to pass. Once the convoy had passed, they made arrangements for the toll to be collected further down the road from the vehicles which did not pay earlier.
Agreed this is a bit , but are the white cars also exempt from waiting their turn in traffic? Is this not an extrapolation of what they do on city roads when they visit? IMHO this right is something that should be taken away from them; unless they are head of the state or pretty high up. These days any worthless politico has a flasher on his car.

[vina]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Wow, thats news to me too. I have been asked to pay at that toll plaza though mine is a MH12 registered vehicle. I have also seen other MH12 & 14 registered vehicles paying there. I will ensure I protest the next time they ask me to pay.

An interesting incident at that toll plaza a few weeks ago. There was the usual huge queue of vehicles on a Saturday till a white car convoy came along. Within a few minutes, the gates were lifted and all vehicles were asked to go without paying toll as the convoy had to pass. Once the convoy had passed, they made arrangements for the toll to be collected further down the road from the vehicles which did not pay earlier.
Agreed this is a bit , but are the white cars also exempt from waiting their turn in traffic? Is this not an extrapolation of what they do on city roads when they visit? IMHO this right is something that should be taken away from them; unless they are head of the state or pretty high up. These days any worthless politico has a flasher on his car.

There are rules against putting such flashers, and when Nitish Kumar came to power in Bihar, a lot of politicians lost those flashers first thing (many from his own party).

It is merely a matter of political will, which with some time lag in a democracy reflects the voters' will.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by vina

I think it is more of apathy - people just don't care.

Then that's worse then being greedy.

More money to the toll plaza operators then if the wronged dont care anyways.

The poor guys do inhale a lot of toxic gases whole day round. Maybe the extra money will go in their medical expenses.

[Anandg]

I agree with the incident on Bangalore - vellore route. Though they collect a toll of 250+ for 200kms, you need to be very vigilant while giving and collecting change. I gave hundred rupees for a 35rs toll and the guy returned me 15. When I asked him that what about remaining 50? he said I paid only 50!! I called up the manager there and he did a checks and here and there and from the toll server and saw that there is a difference of 35rs. Thus he said that he does not have an account of 50rs given by me. I was shocked. If they have a completely automated system of toll collection than there should be not a single rupee difference. I am started to feel that now each and every entity designed to serve public (either govt or public-private contractor) cannot do their work honestly and without corruption.May be its too much to blame all but I am yet to find an entity who can serve people honestly.

They only solution I feel is that we should have a rechargeable smart card that is accepted all over India tolls with a password. So that you do not have to worry about change or incorrect ticket details and this would also insure that money goes into correct hands.

[kphilip]

The biggest loot will be in the aroor bridge,cochin. The toll period has ended 5 years back i think but still they are collecting the toll.

So far lot of protest from people has come up but then there was no response from the government to stop it either.There's a hartal coming up on June 1st to protest on the illegal toll collection.

[deky]

One of the tolls between Jaipur and Delhi is of Rs.87/- . Once when i was crossing it during midnight the guy asked me if i did not want a receipt I can only pay Rs.50/- and move on. Just to check how much further can he stoop I told him I will only pay him Rs.20/- and to my surprise he agreed. We payed him moved on and stopped ahead. Ofcourse the barrier wasnt working at all.

Thats when my Dad, who was with me, a retired Fauji stepped in. Actually till last year Ex-servicemen and family were exempted on all NHAI tolls on production of ID card ( its changed now). So basically we could have passed without even paying a single penny.

My dad went straight to the supervisor and told him what has just happened. We went to the counter and confronted the operator. Thats when we realised that not just the guy at the counter but the whole unit collecting taxes is involved in the scam. Realising nothing would change dad just ended up giving them piece and we moved on. The best part is the operator also gave us our Rs20/- back, basically accepting the fact that he did take a bribe.

Also a point to note in this discussion is that, Once I remember in one state NHAI toll official's had gone on a strike. The responsibility of toll collection was given to the Army. In one day itself Army collected double the amount of taxes that the usual guys collected. Fearing the fact that their scam may come out in the media the toll guys resumed duty immediately.

So we can imagine what all hanky panky goes at the toll gates