Haryana govt may buy Kherki Daula toll plaza to ease traffic
JOINT EFFORT Traders and direct beneficiaries have agreed to contribute ₹200cr to pay off liabilities
GURGAON: The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) may buy the Kherki Daula toll plaza from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), a top Haryana government official told HT.
The removal of the Kherki Daula toll will benefit over 2,200 industries at Manesar, hundreds of commercial and residential real estate projects and many other stakeholders.
The 23-lane Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway (NH8) has become a major bottleneck.
Sudhir Rajpal, managing director of HSIIDC, said, “A rough figure of ₹600 crore is the liability that needs to be paid to the NHAI. The stakeholders, who will be the direct beneficiaries if the toll is removed, have agreed to contribute in order to pay off liabilities. In its board meeting, the HSIIDC discussed the issue and appointed a team to prepare a report of stakeholders.”
“We have spoken to the NHAI and industries at Manesar also. We are trying to resolve the issue,” said Rajpal.
The Manesar Industry Welfare Association (MIWA) and IMT Manesar Industrial Welfare Association (IMT-IWA) held a separate meeting of members a week ago and submitted their consent to pay ₹200 crore.
MIWA vice-president Manmohan Gaind said, “We have roughly calculated to pay ₹200 crore to the HSIIDC. We will not pay any amount beyond that. It is for the HSIIDC to arrange the remaining amount from all other stakeholders. We have spoken with the developers whose projects are held up due to toll and they are also happy to contribute.”
“If by paying off liabilities we get permanent relief nothing can be better than this. The toll has become a traffic hazard and we have informed HSIIDC how our clients have suffered in unending traffic jams. I am sure developers and the common man would also get permanent relief,” said IMT Manesar Industrial Association general secretary Manoj Tyagi.
In 2002-03, the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) awarded the maintenance of the highway project to Delhi Gurgaon Super Connectivity Limited (DGSCL).
According to specifications, DGSCL had to maintain two tolls approved by the NHAI — Kherki Daula and Sirhaul toll plazas — for a concession period of 20 years on a build-operatetransfer basis. The period included construction time to encourage the concessionaire to complete it early. The expressway was opened to public in 2008.
“In 2014, we removed the Sirhaul Toll plaza and the DGSCL as concessionaire. We appointed Millennium City Expressways Pvt Ltd (MCEPL) as the new concessionaire to maintain the highway, including the Kherki Daula plaza, till 2023,” said an NHAI official, refusing to reveal liability amount.
The Sirhaul toll plaza was removed on the orders of the Delhi high court. HT also carried out a sustained campaign, in which both civil society and local residents participated.