Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, June 6: The Taichahchoot toll post operators on NH-44 in Pulwama district are violating the National Highway Authority of India’s Fast tag laws by making vehicles wait a long time to cross the post.
The National Highway Authority of India implemented Fast-Tag technology to minimize service time and ensure smooth traffic flow at toll plazas around the country. The new instructions for toll operators include the 10-second rule, which states that a vehicle’s wait time should not exceed ten seconds, which is unusual for this toll station.
“If the rule is not observed, a person may pass without paying. The guidelines were carefully designed by the government to protect both commuters and operators. While some rules favoured toll operators, others aided citizens,” an official said.
He said that there is no accountability at the Kaichachkoot plaza since the operators only follow criteria that benefit them. “It is quite regrettable that the time of those who pay money to the operators is not valued and that they are thus taken for a ride,” he said.
At the Kaichahkoot toll plaza, the operators frequently make people wait a long time if their own RFID set-up (used to read FastTags) is not working. “Even if you have waited in line for 10 minutes, they will not allow you to pass through without paying the toll fee,” Gulzar Ahmad, a daily commuter, told Excelsior.
The second key guideline developed for commuters is the 100-meter rule. According to the rule, the queue at the toll plaza should not exceed 100 metres, and a yellow line should be painted to indicate the distance. “If the queue exceeds the yellow line, commuters can pass through the toll post without paying the toll tax,” an officer remarked, adding that this rule is also openly disobeyed.
According to commuters, the only rule that is obeyed at the toll plaza is the one that requires you to pay double the toll tax if you do not have a FastTag or your FastTag is not functional in any way. Sameer Ahmad, another commuter, said the operators are only concerned with one regulation and would even fight with commuters if he/she attempted to remind them of the restrictions.
Commuters allege that the government is causing people to suffer by ignoring such issues. “The peak hours are particularly bad, and the government must step in to ensure hassle-free movement at these toll posts, as commuters already face traffic snarls on the highway for a variety of reasons,” one commuter said.
Purshottam Kumar, Regional Officer of NHAI in Kashmir, told Excelsior that “technology penetration is still poor and those who prefer cash often cause delays,” adding that system updates, which occur two-three times per day, also cause some delays.
Kumar said that 1033 is a toll-free number that anyone can call and complain about if they believe things are not being done properly.
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