The biggest complaints of people traveling on national highways across the country are often long queues at toll plazas, misbehavior of employees and disputes that sometimes reach the level of fighting. Now for the first time the government has shared the figures of such cases in Parliament.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways told the Lok Sabha that in the last three years, more than 85 thousand cases of complaints like behavior of staff at toll plazas, physical attacks and excessive waiting were registered. Most of these complaints came from Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The government says most of the complaints have been resolved, but some cases are still pending. Not only complaints, action has also been taken against toll operators breaking the rules. According to the government, in the last three years, 146 show-cause notices were issued to toll operators, financial penalty of Rs 5.53 crore was imposed and in three cases even the contracts for toll operation were terminated.
The government also clarified that toll is collected only when the road is declared safe for operation and necessary certificates are issued. If widening or upgradation of the road is going on, then toll fee is also reduced as per the rules.
The government said that complaints were received through 1033 helpline, PG portal, Highway Travel App, email and written medium. These include complaints like staff misbehavior, assault and long waiting time. Almost all the complaints have been resolved.
According to government data, the maximum number of complaints related to toll plazas have been registered from Delhi, where a total of 19,461 complaints were received. This was followed by Gujarat (11,026), Rajasthan (8,837), Uttar Pradesh (8,697), Karnataka (4,884), Punjab (4,532) and Bihar (4,424).
Highest number of cases registered from Delhi (Sunil Ghosh/HT via Getty Images)
Apart from this, a large number of complaints were also filed from Kerala (3,630), Madhya Pradesh (3,596), Assam (3,587) and Andhra Pradesh (3,389). The government said that in most of the cases the complaints have been resolved and necessary instructions have also been given to the concerned agencies.
According to the data given by the government in the Lok Sabha, in the last three years, most of the complaints related to staff misbehavior, assault and long waiting at toll plazas have been resolved. In many states like Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, 100% of all complaints registered have been resolved.
A limited number of complaints are still pending in some states. Maximum 38 complaints are pending in Delhi, 28 in Punjab, 22 in Bihar, 20 in Gujarat, 10 in Odisha, 7 each in Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 6 in Uttar Pradesh, 5 each in Karnataka and West Bengal, and 1 in Telangana. Overall, out of more than 91,000 complaints, only 149 cases are still pending, while all the remaining complaints have been resolved.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, action was also taken against toll operators who violated rules or standard operating procedure (SOP). The government said that so far 146 show-cause notices have been issued, a fine of Rs 5.53 crore has been imposed for violation of rules and the contracts of 3 toll operators have also been terminated. The ministry says that wherever negligence or violation of rules was found, action was taken as per the terms of the contract.
Government strict on toll disputes (Parveen Negi/IT Group via Getty Images)
The government clarified in Parliament that toll collection on a road is started only when it is declared ready for operation and a completion certificate or provisional completion certificate is issued for it.
If widening or expansion work of the road is going on, then the drivers do not have to pay the full toll. According to the rules, only 30% toll is charged when converting from two lanes to four lanes, whereas 75% toll is applicable when converting from four lanes to six lanes.
According to the government, many basic arrangements are mandatory at all toll plazas for the convenience and safety of passengers. These include facilities like ambulance, crane, patrolling vehicle, toilets, drinking water, adequate lighting, CCTV cameras, FASTag system, Variable Message Sign (VMS) and information boards.
The ministry said that these facilities are regularly inspected. If any kind of deficiency or negligence is found during the inspection, the concerned agency is given instructions for immediate improvement. If necessary, punitive action is also taken under the terms of the contract.
