DGSCL failed to open a single sale point for smart cards along the expressway. The concessionaire was required to promote the sale of smart cards by making it available at petrol pumps and other convenient places along the expressway. It has been able to issue just 18,000 smart cards since last October.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the highway authority and the concessionaire, signed in September, 2012, has made it obligatory for DGSCL to introduce touch card technology on the toll plazas. Later, following an order of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Gurgaon police had suggested opening of outlets for selling smart cards at vantage points along the expressway to popularize it. The concessionaire opened one such sale point near the 32-lane toll plaza.

Now, this has also been shut and smart cards are only available at the three toll plazas of the expressway.

The drive to penalize cash users entering in the tag lanes also failed to take off. Out of 32 lanes, eight are earmarked for electronic tag users. But, the facility rendered useless with cash users also using this lane. In such a scenario, tag users are also made to wait in queues.

DGSCL has so far issued 1,37, 973 tags, out of which 1,23,006 are active, revealed an RTI reply given to a city resident Aseem Takyar.

A DGSCL spokesperson said, “Tag users are not able to get the benefit of a smooth passage as cash users deliberately get into tag lanes. This is one of the biggest reasons for congestion at the toll plaza. Ideally waiting time in tag lanes should be minimal if only tag users use the tag lane.”

“However, when cash in tag lane violation is high, the transaction rates in these “mixed” lanes, where cash users also enter tag lanes, sometimes dips to levels even lesser than the transaction rates of cash lanes. This is clearly a driving discipline issue that can only be resolved by challaning the errant cash drivers who enter the tag lane. Since as a concessionaire, we do not have the authority to challan such errant vehicles, we had written to the NHAI to give us the rights to challan such errant vehicles. As that did not happen, we have repeatedly requested the traffic police to step in as they have the authority to challan cash users who enter tag lanes. This needs to be done on regular basis,” the spokesperson added.

When contacted, joint commissioner of police (traffic) Bharti Arora said, “There is no such rule in Motor Vehicle Act to challan motorists for entering tag lanes. But, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the concessionaire can fix a penalty for this.”

Source -http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com