Chaos prevails virtually everyday at the toll booths at Khed Shivapur, on National Highway-4, about 50 km from Pune, as long queues of vehicles remain stranded for nearly 30 minutes before being able to pay toll and passing through.
Despite protests by political leaders and local residents, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has done precious little to mitigate the sufferings of commuters at toll nakas.
The president of Sajag Nagrik Manch and a civic activist, Vivek Velankar, has written to the general manager of NHAI unit of Pune, expressing anguish at the manner in which things are being handled at the naka.
“Why should commuters waste half-an-hour at the naka to pay toll? The Manch has been receiving complains from travellers. It is high time the NHAI streamlines toll collection at the naka,” Velankar wrote.
According to him, it is baffling why the NHAI has failed to take corrective steps despite the fact that the problem has been persisting for a long time. The Khed Shivapur toll naka was inaugurated 3 years ago and is operated by Reliance Infrastructure.
The Pune district administration in June, this year, sent a proposal to the Union government for shifting the toll naka from Khed Shivapur to Shirval. The toll booth operator had also assured additional manpower to ensure that toll is collected swiftly.
“However, during my visit to the naka last Friday, I saw that there has been no improvement. The authorities are not taking the matter seriously,” Velankar alleged, adding that it is the responsibility of NHAI to monitor road conditions and keep a close watch on toll operators.
The civic activist also pointed out that 50% of the lights in Katraj tunnel (Pune to Khed Shivapur)are not working. “Why should people pay toll and experience discomfort and accident prone situations?” he wondered. No NHAI official could be contacted for their views on this matter.
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