HYDERABAD: Driving on the 158-kilometre Outer Ring Road (ORR) is going to be a costly affair from April 1, 2025.
Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL), a wing of HMDA, has given the green signal to the M/s IRB Golconda Expressway Limited to increase the toll charges for vehicles falling in six different categories.
This revised toll is going to pinch the motorist’s pockets who use the ORR stretch, an access-controlled expressway managed by HGCL.
The new revised rates will be implemented from 00.00 hours on Tuesday. It is estimated that ORR is utilised by about 1.50-2.00 lakh vehicles daily. All these users have to bear the additional burden of increased toll charges from the start of the new financial year.
Charge for cars, jeeps, vans and light vehicles has been revised from Rs 2.34/km to Rs 2.44/km. For minibuses and light commercial vehicles (LCVs), the raise is from Rs 3.77/km to Rs 3.94/km. For Buses, Two Axle Trucks, the charge has been hiked from Rs 6.69/km to Rs 7/km and other types of vehicles etc.
The toll fee hike is between three percent and five percent on the existing rates. There is a clause in the toll collection agreement with the agency for the enhancement of the toll fee every year.
To avoid any ambiguity in revision of rates, toll rate charts for the year were provided, the calculated rates for specific length of stretch has been rounded off to the nearest Rs 10, duly following the orders issued by the Government as per the wholesale Price Index (WPI).
As per the above, the toll collection agency has to collect the user fee as per these user fee charts during the period of the contract-based on the distance travelled. As per the above, the toll fee collection agency has to display the new rate charts at all the toll booths for the awareness of the road users. Users are charged based on the actual distance they travel on the ORR stretch.
The IRB Golconda, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited, has a 30-year concession agreement with the HMDA for maintenance of the 158 km ORR. The concession period is for 30 years, starting from August 12, 2023. The IRB made an upfront payment of Rs 7,380 crore to HMDA.
Unlike National Highways, urban expressways and state highways that are completely independent of central funding have adopted toll rates that are significantly different from NHAI norms.
The ORR is an eight-lane access-controlled expressway with paved shoulders, complete greenfield construction. Access to ORR is only through interchanges, which are designed to ensure signal-free movement of vehicles, and there will be no criss-crossing of vehicles. Drivers are being charged with a toll corresponding to the distance travelled.
The agency has appealed to all ORR users to cooperate. Users can visit HMDA website www.hmda.gov.in for new toll rates/daily pass/monthly pass.