The removal of toll plazas on Rajiv Gandhi Salai, popularly known as Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), which was one of the many poll promises made by the DMK, has been welcomed by the residents as well as the State Transport Department and the Greater Chennai Corporation.
The main beneficiary of this move among all government entities is the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC).
A senior official of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation Chennai (MTC), a subsidiary of (TNSTC), said although Rajiv Gandhi Salai was a high collection corridor, the toll had offset the earnings.
The MTC operates more than 130 services on the Information Technology Expressway. It has been paying about ₹7 lakh a month as toll charges.
The official said the removal of four toll plazas will result in significant savings for the MTC. The TNSTC (Villupuram) will also save some cost as it operated a few buses on the IT corridor route.
Relief to civic body
The government’s decision provides relief to the Greater Chennai Corporation as the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company, which manages the road, wanted toll paid for garbage trucks.
While the Corporation was not paying any toll for the garbage trucks earlier, the Highways Department started demanding user fees for garbage trucks belonging to to Urbaser Sumeet. However, by the time the federation could raise the issue with the Minister concerned, the toll plazas had been removed.
Danger zone
Residents want to know if the booths at the plaza locations would be removed.
“Many people, especially two-wheeler riders, drive on the wrong side at Perungudi plaza. This is due to the absence of police, and a median. If the booths are removed, a median could be laid and provision for a U-turn would help,” said Kannan Baktavatsalam, a resident of Mettukuppam.
Many motorists using the road have also sought clarity on the status of their local resident passes to be used at the lone toll plaza that is functional now.
