Lucknow: User charges on Ganga expressway will once again be levied. From 12:00:01 am on May 15 (a second after the midnight of May 14), a car owner plying via the 594-km-long speed corridor between Meerut and Prayagraj and vice versa would be liable to pay up the toll fees. An amount of Rs 1,800 would have to be paid by a four-wheeler owner covering the entire distance. The UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) announced the package-wise charges that vehicle owners would be liable to pay.In a bid to encourage vehicle owners to experience the smooth ride firsthand, UP govt directed the toll collection companies not to levy user charges during the first 15 days of the operations. Toll collection was initiated right after Apr 29 midnight, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the carriageway of the expressway in Hardoi.On an average, about 15,000 motor vehicles were using the carriageway on a daily basis, out of which 80% were private vehicles and the remaining were commercial or heavy vehicles. UPEIDA directed the toll collection companies to deploy the manpower required ahead of the commercial operations of the high-speed corridor.For the first package that spans between Meerut and Budaun, having a length of 129.7 km, a toll fee of Rs 435 would be levied on cars and SUVs. For the second, third and fourth package from Budaun to Hardoi (151.7 km), Hardoi to Unnao (155.7 km) and Unnao to Prayagraj (156.85 km), the toll management companies would collect Rs 480, Rs 485 and Rs 400 from private vehicles. For a round trip, the vehicle owners would be asked to shell out 80% of the overall round-trip charges if it is done within a period of 24 hours.The six-lane-wide corridor links 12 districts in west, central and eastern UP and has been designed to maintain a maximum speed limit of 120 km an hour. To connect the intermediary cities and towns between Meerut and Prayagraj, 20 entry and exit ramps have been provided . Having a budget of Rs 36,230 crore, almost 78% of the project was commissioned by Adani Enterprises Ltd (second, third and fourth packages), while IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd was involved with the construction of the first package.Average count of motor vehicles is expected to go down soon after the toll charges are levied. Meanwhile, the toll management companies held surveys with truck drivers and other heavy-vehicle owner-drivers over the past two weeks. “While four-wheeler owners were interested in exploring the longest eway of the state and their numbers would come down, we were interested in gathering the feedback from truckers and heavy-duty heavy vehicles. More than 85% of the truckers and heavy-vehicle drivers expressed their willingness to continue using Ganga expressway with or without toll exemption,” said a senior executive from a construction company involved with the survey process.Uninterrupted movement between cities at increased speed was cited as the most crucial factor by the truckers since no-entry regulations force them to spend a lot of time on the outskirts of cities. “They said bringing down commute time is more important compared to the higher fees that are commanded over the expressways in comparison to other routes, as they would be able to make increased income by making more trips through access-controlled speed corridors,” said the executive while summarising their reactions.
