Eastern Peripheral Expressway toll collection to be handled by pvt operator from August

Ghaziabad: The Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) will be handed over to a private operator by August. The operator has been tasked with collecting toll and maintaining the 135km-long expressway.

“The EPE will be handed over to the firm by August. It will operate all the toll plazas and, and maintain the expressway for a period of 20 years. They are required to pay ₹6,267 crore as upfront payment under the National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) toll-operate-transfer (TOT) model. The payment is expected to be processed soon,” said Arvind Kumar, project director, NHAI.

“The toll will be levied according to rates notified by the government. The annual toll collection on the EPE is about ₹350 crore. The payment received on account of TOT will be used for other NHAI projects,” Kumar added.

Under the TOT model, an operator collects toll across the stretch, according to NHAI-prescribed rates, for a designated period. The NHAI has drawn up a plan to monetise its different stretches under the TOT model, beginning 2022-23. “By adopting the TOT model, the NHAI will be able to generate immediate funds for initiating other infrastructure projects. It will also save resources by outsourcing toll management and maintenance to professional firms,” another NHAI officer informed.

Officials also said that six firms applied during the bidding process. The lowest price quoted was ₹1,395 crore, while the highest was ₹6,267 crore.

Inaugurated in May 2018, the EPE is country’s first green expressway which connects Kundli to Palwal, traversing through Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar. It comprises a closed tolling system which levies toll for the distance travelled.

According to official estimates, the EPE witnesses the movement of about 50,000 passenger car units per day. It is equipped with an intelligent traffic system (ITS), inaugurated by union minister Nitin Gadkari in December 2021.

The ITS can detect traffic violations and generate e-challans, and alert commuters about weather conditions and accidents. It also helps in surveillance of unauthorised parking and encroachment on the expressway. Apart from these, real time traffic monitoring provides for an efficient incident management system.