10% toll hike in Navalur from Friday
CHENNAI: Nearly 10 months after four toll plazas on Rajiv Gandhi Salai and its arterial roads were shut, the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC) has hiked the toll fee at Navalur booth by 10%. The revised fee will come into effect from July 1.
The fee for single-trip of a car or jeep will be hiked to Rs 33 from Rs 30 and for light commercial vehicles from Rs 49 to 54. Similarly, buses and trucks will attract a toll fee of Rs 86 and Rs 129 per trip, respectively, as against Rs 78 and Rs 117. The toll was last increased on October 1, 2020, official sources said. Rajiv Gandhi Salai handles 1.3 lakh vehicles a day. The lone toll gate at Navalur now collects 18-20% of the total toll fee collected by five toll gates before the pandemic.
The collection at five toll gates was Rs 18 to Rs 19 lakh a day till March 2019. Commuters and residents along the OMR said the closure of four toll booths at Perungudi, Thoraipakkam, Sholinganallur, and Perumbakkam has not impacted the maintenance of the road. S Raja Raman, of Egattur, said,
“Navalur toll gate too should be closed at the earliest as the IT corridor has become home to lakhs of residents from various parts of the State. Nearly 35% vehicles plying on Rajiv Gandhi Salai belong to residents,” he said. Residents often argue with toll plaza staff when FASTag fails to allow even those who have recharged their residential pass.
“The Navalur toll gate often faces glitches, forcing us to pay the full fee,” said another resident, K Maria Thomas. Official sources from TNRDC said the user fee has been increased after two years as per norms. “The minimum balance required for functioning of monthly passes varies from Rs 100 to Rs 200 depending on the FASTag provider. When residents use NH roads, including Chennai bypass, their balance goes down. Only when the minimum balance is not maintained do pass holders face issues,” sources said.
The TNRDC has also hiked the user fee by 6-8% for vehicles crossing four toll gates on the 60-km Vandalur-Minjur Outer Ring Road. The revised fee will come into effect from July 5. While the concessionaire agreement permits revision of toll fee on ORR from April 1 every year, the hike was not effected as per the agreement this year since the toll collection commenced on January 10.