dna's 'Toll Tale' series has made the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) get the vehicular data submitted by IRB Surat-Dahisar Tollway checked and analysed.
Sources within NHAI informed dna that cognizance has been taken of the reports published and the independent engineer engaged for the Surat-Dahisar build-operate-transfer project has been asked to analyse the vehicular traffic data vis-à-vis reports published by this newspaper.
Toll Tales: Is IRB under-reporting money collected at toll booths?
"On the basis of dna's 'Toll Tale' series, the independent engineer will examine the submissions made by the concessionaire (IRB Surat-Dahisar Tollway)," informed an NHAI official.
It may take some weeks for the independent engineer – Consulting Engineers Group – to analyse the data and conclude if there are any irregularities happening or not.
dna did a total of 15 stories on the Surat-Dahisar National Highway to highlight the discrepancies that have taken place during the past few years.
Also read: Despite documents, Surat-Dahisar Tollway continues to be nightmare for motorists
For example, IRB Surat-Dahisar Tollway (part of IRB Infrastructure Developers) had told dna that toll evasion is rare and negligible, but the same company has been claiming to NHAI that such numbers are high and alarming.
Another dna report had stated how IRB Infrastructure Developer is unwilling to share toll revenue with NHAI. These articles include ones about every fourth motorists refusing toll at Bhagwada toll plaza, IRB Surat-Dahisar Tollway asking the police to book over six lakh motorists for evading toll payment, CAG pulling up NHAI for not levying penalty, the under-construction Charoti flyover being constructed without the presence of any engineers and a petroleum tanker explosion happening due to faulty road design, among many others. The "Toll Tale" series began from May 23.
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