Manoj Tiwari orders review of all MCD toll booths in city, says public safety paramount
Mail Today found on Friday that makeshift toll booths erected by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation in the middle of the Delhi Noida Direct flyway had left vehicles crawling on the thoroughfare after clearing the entry point on the Noida side even as the MCD staff was busy collecting money.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, whose party swept to power in the city's three municipal corporations last month, asked commissioners of the civic bodies on Saturday to review all 120 vehicle toll collection points in their jurisdiction following a Mail Today report on the rickety system.
The tariff constitutes the fourth biggest chunk of revenue for the MCDs. "Public safety is our top priority," Tiwari told Mail Today.
"Safety parameters at all toll points will be reviewed and it will be streamlined so that there's no traffic chaos. The newly elected mayors and concerned officials will personally monitor the situation at major points like DND, Mayur Vihar, Gazipur etc."
Mail Today found on Friday that makeshift toll booths erected by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation in the middle of the Delhi Noida Direct flyway had left vehicles crawling on the thoroughfare after clearing the entry point on the Noida side even as the MCD staff was busy collecting money. The Capitals' civic bodies levy entry toll on commercial vehicles at the border with SDMC as the nodal agency.
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On Saturday, Mail Today went to the Mayur Vihar flyover in east Delhi and it was jam-packed as the toll tax collectors were obstructing vehicular flow. Not just this: the corporations' toll attendants have occupied illegal road space in the name of setting up toll booths. The official MCD booth is placed at the corner of the road, but that remains vacant as the attendants have illegally set up makeshift enclosures at the intersection of the flyover, which lead to traffic mayhem.
Sneha Gupta was driving towards her home in Delhi from Noida. "It's chaos here every day," she told Mail Today.
"These toll tax attendants just run in front of speeding vehicles and there could easily be a major accident at any time. And I have to see this daily." Another motorist said travelling from through the route had become a daily woe for commuters. "Most of the time, I have to take U-turn in a bid to skip traffic and reach my destination on time," said Tarun.
Dharminder, the on-duty toll tax collector in-charge at the Mayur Vihar flyover, refused to answer Mail Today's questions. The slow traffic creates jams and the lanes remain difficult to negotiate till late into the night. Experts say the booths are hazardous for commuters as well as the collection staff with speeding vehicles frequently losing control after suddenly encountering them. Nights and foggy or rainy days deepen the danger, they say.
Also read: Do you get stuck in traffic ahead of DND flyway? Blame MCD toll tax collectors for chaos
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