Chennai: The collection of user costs will be suspended in four of the five toll plazas along Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) for a long time in Chennai from Monday.
Toll booths in Perungudi, ThoraiPakkam, Kalaaignar Salai and Medavakkam will stop gathering victims to facilitate the construction of the workby of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), said EV Velu, Minister of Highways Tamil Nadu.
Drivers will continue to pay toll in Navalur near Siruseri.
The announcement aroused a mixed response from OMR residents.
Harsha Koda from the OMR Federation Resident Association said, “Eliminating the toll for Metro rail work may only hit two birds with stones.
Even though we welcome it, we are not fully happy because of the ambiguity of the toll collection in Navalur.” If halfway will be excavated for CMRL work, the driver will face certain inconveniences.
Toll level must be reduced accordingly.
Many members of the DMK parliament, MLAs and ministers promised to remove all tolls.
“So why is this half-baked effort,” Tempe said.
G Satish, a resident activist from OMR, said the DMK promised to permanently eliminate the tolls but the announcement of Friday is temporary and given the financial burden on the government, toll collection may be continued at a higher level.
In response, a senior highway official said there were no plans to continue the collection of tolls and discussions being carried out to find an alternative source of income for the Tamil Nadu road development company (TNRDC), which maintained OMR.
As far as traffic congestion during CMRL construction is related, OMR may be in a better position to avoid old delays compared to other city streets.
Satish said, “Even if one path is taken for development activities on both parties, the service path might be useful.
But the government can take steps to eliminate encroachment on this path”.
Rama Rao from the Traffic and Transportation Forum said that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) must also take steps to close other toll gates, especially those expired.
The Velu Minister told the Assembly that the effort would be taken to close the other five toll roads on the outskirts of Chennai.
These include Nemili (Sriparumbudur) and Chennasamudram, Vanagaram, Pararur, and Surattu.
“I will meet the Union Minister directly after the assembly session (sustainable) ends and presses it to close the toll plaza,” said Minister.