: The boom barriers at the Kherki Dhaula toll plaza here were lifted as many as 16 times on Sunday, allowing free passage to vehicles to prevent traffic snarls. The move, however, affected collections by 20-25 per cent.
Collections also slowed down when the toll attendants faced problems while accepting payments online.
Problems galore
“We have deployed around 50 POS machines at the plaza for collection through cards, but none of the machines worked on Sunday. We also encountered problems in collection through Paytm. Also, many offered Rs.2,000 notes and some tried to pay through old Rs.500 notes,” said T.C. Rao, Chief Managing Director, Skylark Group -- the company that manages the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.
Mr. Rao added that the number of commercial vehicles that passed through the plaza had gone down by 25 per cent compared to earlier.
Tempers flare
Earlier, tempers flared with commuters not being able to pay through cashless methods and the toll attendants not allowing them to leave without making the payment.
“I had an old Rs.500 note, which they refused to accept. When I offered to pay through debit card, they told me that the server was down. Then they took my Rs.500 note and made me park my car on the roadside, forcing me to arrange the cash. If their POS is not working, it is not my fault,” said Saranjit Singh, a Gurugram resident.
Inconvenienced
Another commuter lost his cool when he could not pay through Paytm for several minutes.
“I twice scanned the code, but could not make the payment. After 15 minutes, the attendant told me that there was some technical issue with Paytm payment. The toll agency should ensure that cashless payment is smooth. We are willing to pay, but their system is at fault,” complained Rakesh, a Rewari resident.
The toll attendants, on their part, argued that commuters were mostly offering Rs.2,000 notes or the old Rs.500 notes to avoid paying tolls.
“When we confiscate their valuables, they readily come out with loose change to pay the toll. It may take around a month for the situation to return to normalcy,” said a marshal at the toll plaza.
The toll gates on the Delhi-Jaipur carriageway had to be opened more frequently compared to the Jaipur-Delhi carriageway to facilitate right-turn for the vehicles coming from Jaipur side.
No relief
Traffic snarls at the plaza could be longer on Monday, the first working day after collections were resumed on Saturday, and the booms could be lifted more frequently to avoid jams.
