Closure of Shambhu toll plaza causing Rs 72 lakh loss per day to NHAI

Tribune News Service

Nitish Sharma

Ambala, April 10

The closure of the Shambhu toll plaza at the Haryana-Punjab interstate border is not only causing inconvenience to commuters, but also has been causing a loss of nearly Rs 72 lakh every day to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

As per sources, between 40,000 and 50,000 vehicles used to cross the toll plaza on NH-44 in a day, but it has been sealed because of the ongoing tussle between farmers and the government since February 10.

Unlike other toll plazas, which are being operated on BOT (build operate and transfer) mode, Shambhu — one of the busiest toll plazas in the region — is public-funded. It is allotted to a toll agency by the NHAI on a yearly contractual basis. As per the last tender issued, the agency needs to deposit Rs 72 lakh daily. Since the toll plaza has been lying closed for the past two months, it has already cost a loss of over Rs 43 crore to the Central Government exchequer. “Even if the tolls are freed for some hours during protests, the losses run into lakhs,” said an official.

A number of commuters, who arrive at the toll plaza, are redirected towards alternative routes by police personnel.

Commuters travelling to Rajpura, Amritsar and Patiala are taking other routes, like the Ambala-Chandigarh route from Zirakpur or Lalru and the Ambala-Kaithal road through Ghanaur, besides village roads.

Yogesh Kumar, a local resident, said: “I need to go Rajpura on a weekly basis. While earlier it used to take about 25-30 minutes from Ambala City, now it takes me over an hour to get there. It costs me extra fuel, too.”

Naveen Jain, president, Ambala Goods Transport Association, said: “The closure of the Shambhu toll plaza has caused heavy losses to the transport business. Trucks are covering extra kilometres to reach their destinations, which is leading to the use of extra fuel. Customers ask transporters to deliver the goods on time, but trucks get stuck in jams on alternative routes. We request the farmers and the government to resolve the issue.”

Public-funded toll plaza

Unlike other toll plazas that are being operated on build operate and transfer (BOT) mode, Shambhu — one of the busiest toll plazas in the region — is public-funded. It is allotted to a toll agency by the NHAI on a yearly contractual basis.

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