Newsline spent two hours at toll plaza on Delhi-Gurgaon border on Friday and found several flaws in motion. The staff being untrained, motorists run a risk of booms falling on them. As a corollary, waiting time at toll points is more than what should be necessary.

DS Constructions, which has constructed the expressway, has also failed to convince RITES about the working of its much-touted “vehicle tag system”.

RITES conducted a preliminary test of the toll-plaza on Delhi-Gurgaon border and noted 10 faults with the system in a report submitted to DS Constructions. Only five of the 32 lanes were studied.

On Friday, the boom at the toll counter hit two vehicle-owners within the first hour. It first hit an Alto car on its way out after collecting the toll slip. In the second case, a motorcyclist had a narrow escape -- the boom fell on his helmet. “I hope they are not going to work this way,” the motorcyclist, Joginder Singh, said. “There is no coordination -- I would obviously take some time to leave after paying the toll. How can the boom fall immediately?”

“Fortunately”, he was wearing a helmet; it could have been serious otherwise, Singh added.

A senior RITES official told Newsline that cashiers at toll booths “were not trained, and operators are taking a lot of time in giving out toll slips.”

Toll trouble
* Cameras fitted at toll counters record pictures of every incoming vehicle.
* The cashier fills in vehicle’s number and selects category.
* The data is stored in lane computer and the toll plaza’s central server.

But the RITES official said they have found data of automatic vehicle classification of lane computers do not match those of central servers. “It is essential that both data match so no one fudges figures to make money.”

Vehicle tag system

As per this facility, vehicle owners with tags are not required to pay cash or swipe smart cards. If they go past the counter at 40 kmph, the system will automatically register the toll. This system is used in 28 countries.

The RITES official said: “They (DS Constructions) said they would show working of the tag system in at least five lanes. But required transponders are fixed in a single lane.”