CHENNAI: Travelling on the city's IT corridor will now be a costlier affair as the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC) has hiked the toll rates.
According to the latest press release by the TNRDC, cars will have to pay Rs 30 (old rate: Rs 27), LCVs Rs 49 (old rate: Rs 45), buses Rs 78 (old rate: Rs 71), trucks Rs 117 (old rate: Rs. 107) and multi axle vehicles Rs 234 (old rate: Rs 213) for a single trip.
The Tamil Nadu government fixed toll rates under the Indian Tolls Act, 1851, for various categories of vehicles using the Rajiv Gandhi Salai (Phase I). The toll rates were fixed for a period of 30 years from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2036 with an increase of 10 percent on existing toll rates every two years.
The government had permitted IT Expressway Ltd to collect toll and the actual toll collection started from December 15, 2008.
The 20-km stretch from Madhya Kailash to Siruseri is the heart of the IT sector in Chennai. Nearly 1.5 lakh vehicles ply on the roads on a daily basis. Currently, most IT professionals are working from home and hence they will not feel the pinch immediately, said a techie.
Mohammed Afzal, President of Tamil Nadu Omni Bus Owners Association and General Secretary of Bus and Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI), told The New Indian Express that the increase in toll rates is an additional blow for the transport sector which is reeling with losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Of a Rs 1,000 ticket for travelling a 500km stretch, 75 percent goes on fuel, taxes and tolls. We won't have any alternative but to pass it on to the public who will now have to pay more. This move is indirectly fleecing the public," he said.
Fact file:
Auto:
Single trip: Rs 10
Return: Rs 19
Daily Multiple trip: Rs 33
Monthly multiple trip: Rs 311
Monthly 60 trips: NA
Car
Single trip: Rs 30
Return: Rs 60
Daily Multiple trip: Rs 100
Monthly multiple trip: Rs 2390
Monthly 60 trips: Rs 1100
LCV:
Single trip: Rs 49
Return: Rs 98
Daily Multiple trip: Rs 136
Monthly multiple trip: Rs 3050
Monthly 60 trips: NA
Bus:
Single trip: Rs 78
Return: Rs 154
Daily Multiple trip: Rs 231
Monthly multiple trip: Rs 5050
Monthly 60 trips: NA
Truck:
Single trip: Rs 117
Return: Rs 220
Daily Multiple trip: Rs 340
Monthly multiple trip: Rs 7500
Monthly 60 trips: NA
Multi axle vehicle:
Single trip: Rs 234
Return: Rs 440
Daily Multiple trip: Rs 676
Monthly multiple trip: Rs 15,110
Monthly 60 trips: NA