No toll charges if wait time more than 3 minutes?

No toll charges if wait time more than 3 minutes? NHAI now says there is no such rule

Read the news about not having to pay toll charges if you have to wait at the booth area for over 3 minutes? Don't rejoice!

By: Smriti Jain | New Delhi | Updated: July 20, 2017 8:06 PM

The National Highways Authority of India has issued a clarification stating that no such rule allowing exemption from paying toll charges because of time taken exists.

Read the news about not having to pay toll charges if you have to wait at the booth area for over 3 minutes? Don’t rejoice! The National Highways Authority of India has issued a clarification stating that no such rule allowing exemption from paying toll charges because of time taken exists. The clarification, shared with FE Online states, “there is no specific exemption applicable relating to either time taken or distance of queuing of vehicles at Plaza, as part of transaction. As such, it is clarified that there is no provision of exemption to User Fee in case time taken for crossing the plaza is more than 3 minutes”.

“Ministry of Road Transport and Highways vide National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Amendment Rules 2010 dated 03.12.2010 has notified the list of vehicles exempted from payment of User Fee,” says NHAI adding that that there is no specific exemption for time taken. The clarification has now been hosted on the NHAI website as well. The need for clarification arose after an RTI applicant in a Facebook post shared that there is a provision to not pay toll charges if the waiting time is over three minutes.

Here is the NHAI clarification:

Hariom Jindal, reportedly an advocate from Ludhiana, had asked the NHAI in his RTI that if the “total waiting time including the time spent in the queue surpases 30 seconds, which means delay and harassment suffered by the computers, what are the provisions for compensation to be paid by your office to the commuter?” (sic). The reply on the RTI application dated August 29, 2016 says, “There is a total waiting time of 3 minutes, if the 3 minutes exceeds in waiting, then there is a provision to pass the vehicle free of cost.”

http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/no-toll-charges-if-wait-time-more-than-3-minutes-nhai-now-says-there-is-no-such-rule/772126/

RTI Application Reveals Waiting Time At Tolls Should Not Be More Than 3 Minutes

By: Stephen Neil Published: Wednesday, July 19, 2017, 9:45 [IST]

A reply to an RTI application filed by a Ludhiana-based advocate has recently been doing the rounds on various social media platforms.

The advocate - Hariom Jindal had filed for the Right To Information (RTI) last year because of inconvenience caused to him and many other commuters, but the post is going viral almost a year later.

It is for sure that every single person who has driven on Indian highways has at some point gone through the very same inconvenience that Jindal had gone through - waiting at toll booths for the long queue to clear up.

Well, according to the RTI reply that Jindal got, the guidelines and rules set by the National Highway Authority of India state that the waiting time at any toll booth should not be more than 3 minutes.

Surprising? Well, yes. Most would be surprised, simply because of unawareness about this rule. The same issue had come up earlier this year and also in 2015, all at different locations.

In 2015, the collector of a district located on the highway between Nashik and Satara approached the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and asked them to pull up their sleeves in collecting tolls on the stretch.

The district administration had quoted the very same rule stated by the NHAI, and now the topic has come up again. According to the rule and as stated in the RTI writ copy, if made to wait for more than three minutes at the toll booth, the toll operator does not have the authority to impose a toll on the users.

 

Since toll is not a tax, and is a service fee, for which the consumer must get a service in return (usage of the road).

Mr Jindal approached the consumer court of ludhiana to bring the public services provided by the NHAI under the jurisdiction of the consumer court.

Mr Jindal's argument made sense, and this resulted in a landmark ruling.

This whole argument against the time-consuming process at Toll booths does make sense when looked at according to the rule.

However, can it be implemented practically?

Firstly, a blanket rule cannot be implemented across the nation regarding this because of the variation in road sizes.

So, If it is a 6-lane highway, it can be expanded at the toll booth to accommodate 10 or maybe 12 booths,

but if it is a 2-lane highway, it would barely be able to accommodate 4-lanes at the toll booth. And the fact is, most of India has these 2-lane national highways. Adding to this is, the time factor. The Vehicle in front has to move, then this vehicle has to be shifted into gear, and moved ahead.

Most of the time, the vehicle's drivers do not have the exact amount to tender and end up giving a Rs 500 or even Rs 2000 currency note.

The toll operator would then have to compute the transaction and return the remaining amount.

Now add to this, the kind of toll operator present in the booth, and how fast/slow he/she operates, and then you start getting the idea that, it is generally not possible to finish the whole transaction in a few seconds (like the rules would want it to happen).

The fast-track lane was introduced to counter this exact problem. But, once again, lack of awareness leads most people to get into the fast-track lane without having the fast tag.

The toll operators decided to counter the issue by positioning an employee there too, collecting toll manually, and we are back to square one.

 

Though the idea of waiting at a toll for not more than 3 minutes is very lucrative and enticing, it does not seem like it can be implemented successfully.

Well, not in all parts of India at least. Even if one expects to be let through the toll gates free of cost after waiting for more than 3 minutes, how would it be explained to the toll operators that it has been three minutes?

Would anybody want to waste some more time in arguing with the toll operators or just pay and leave? This is one of the many reason why this rule has stayed low even if genuine.

Now add to this the fact that there are reports of the government rubbishing this rule, and you get where we are heading to.

DriveSpark Thinks!

What people have to understand is that the whole process of collecting toll does take time, depending on the road, the terrain, the kind of vehicle you are in and the toll operator. At the same time, the toll operators should not take advantage of the public and have to streamline their process and try to provide the best service to the public, because they are paying for it.

Story first published: Wednesday, July 19, 2017, 9:45 [IST]

Read more at: http://www.drivespark.com/off-beat/rti-application-reveals-3-minute-wait-time-at-tolls-023076.html

You can skip toll at NHAI booths on highways

 Ateeq Shaikh | Thu, 20 Jul 2017-07:55am , Mumbai , DNA

Next time when you are on a National Highway and you happen to wait at any of National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) toll booth for 3 minutes, well, you have the right to deny toll payment and hit the accelerator pedal.

Secondly, if there are six vehicles ahead of you waiting for their turn to pay the toll, you can refuse the toll payment.

After having had a not-so-good experience due to poor highway quality, Ludhiana-based advocate Hariom Jindal had filed an Right to Information application with NHAI.

"I was told by friends that attempts have been made by toll collection company to mislead people by wrongly informing that no rule of 3 minutes is applicable for letting vehicles go free of cost. I had taken it up with NHAI regarding harassment of commuters at toll plaza," said Jindal.

It was also wastage of time in long queues and inconvenience caused to motorists that prompted him to seek details.

However, none of the road construction companies or toll operators or even the government has been educating or making citizens aware about existence of such a rule.

DNA Money approached one of the infrastructure majors to know if this '3-minutes' rule existed, the response was that not only it is true but also there exist another clause under which a motorist can refuse toll payment.

What is this another ground for refusal? Even if there are six vehicles ahead in the queue waiting for their turn to pass the toll gate, you have the right of refusal to pay toll.

However, motorists including Jindal often claim that even after having argued at toll plazas of poor road quality, still the staff force motorist to cough up toll amount.

"They even threaten people if toll is refused due to pothole ridden roads. In other words, the road or highway developers and toll collection staff are white collared goons extorting motorists," said Roy Jacob, a motorist.

Unlike almost all the road users, Jindal moved Ludhiana's district consumer forum to make concerned authorities including NHAI and three other private road developers, namely, Soma-Isolux NH One Tollways, GMR Ambala-Chandigarh Expressways and L&T Panipat Elevated Corridor accountable. "The case filed is about compensation for defective and damaged road resulting in bursting of car tyres. It is pending before the honourable consumer court," told Jindal to DNA Money.

Has Jindal ever managed to cross toll post without payment for waiting beyond 3-minutes? Yes, he has been successful on a couple of occasions, he claimed. "A couple of times, the waiting period exceeded 3-minutes, the moment I used to reach the queue, when it was long, I used to switch on mobile video camera and show to the booth operator when waiting time exceeded 3-minutes," narrated Jindal.

While these two rules for non-payment are applicable on National Highways of India, the rule differs for toll (Built-Operate-Transfer or Toll Collection) contracts for each and every state highway. For example, Maharashtra's Public Works Department and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation have no formal guidelines or rules on possibility of toll refusal due to excessive waiting time.

"If waiting time exceeds 4 minutes, the toll agency will have to make alternate arrangements for collection either using handheld device or staggered toll booths. Earlier this year, 'Yellow Line' concept too was introduced to boost motorist sentiment, but no official guidelines were issued on allowing motorist pass by toll plaza without payment," said a Maharashtra state official.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-you-can-skip-toll-at-nhai-booths-on-highways-2507939

Waiting at the toll plaza for more than 3 minutes? Don't pay the toll tax

By Team Asianet Newsable | 01:13 PM July 19, 2017

Highlights

• This directive was in response to an RTI filed by an advocate Hariom Jindal last year.
• Jindal posted the directive by the National Highway Authority of India on his personal Facebook account. 
• The commuters are free to pass the toll naka without paying tax if they have to wait for more than 3 minutes

Waiting at the toll plaza is rather distressing. However, every cloud has a silver lining and this one is no exception. In response to an RTI filed by an advocate Hariom Jindal last year, it was revealed that any vehicles crossing the toll plaza had to do in three minutes. In case the time exceeds the stipulated waiting time, the commuters are free to pass without paying anything.

Just to prove that this is not a hoax, Jindal posted the directive by the National Highway Authority of India on his personal Facebook account.

https://www.rushlane.com/do-not-pay-toll-if-wait-time-is-3-min-12247129.html

 

 

Did you know that you don’t have to pay toll if you wait for 3 minutes?

By Pearl Daniels On Jul 19, 2017

Advocate Hariom Jindal, in his RTI application filed draws attention to the waste of time at toll plazas.

While every driver in India has had to wait in serpentine queues at toll plazas and have grumbled about the slow process and loss of valuable time, it is Advocate Hariom Jindal who has filed a Right to Information application arguing this point.

Advocate Jindal claims that his RTI application’s answer from government revealed that the total time a vehicle should spend at a toll plaza should not be more than 3 minutes. If the person is made to wait for more than 3 minutes then they can pass free of cost.

Advocate Jindal argues that he has also had to wait in long queues at toll plazas where vehicles have to put up with slow toll collectors who do not even disclose correct schedule or timings. Advocate Jindal has moved Ludhiana Consumer Court to bring this service provided by National Highways Authority of India under jurisdiction of the Consumer Court.

Though the idea of waiting at the toll plaza for just 3 minutes or go free would seem exciting, many would find it not really practical and think that it cannot really be implemented successfully at least on most highways in India.

The reasons – First and foremost one would have to prove to the toll operator that one is waiting in line for over three minutes and then one would have to waste some more time arguing that they should be exempted from payment of toll charges.

Most would think that it is better to pay and leave. But this is a short term solution. This way, we have to continue waiting in those long queues while the toll operators don’t do anything to shorten the wait time.

As per one activist, more and more people should argue with toll operators, take videos of people waiting in queue. The second you are waiting in the queue, you should start recording. Once you reach the toll booth, show it to the toll operator. If the operator says there is no such rule, make sure you meet with the head of operator. Tell others in the queue about the rule. Only then this laid back attitude of toll operators stands a chance to change.

https://www.rushlane.com/do-not-pay-toll-if-wait-time-is-3-min-12247129.html