Thaindian News

Chandigarh, July 27 (IANS) Motorists avoiding the National Highway No.8 (NH-8) to evade toll tax on the Gurgaon-Jaipur route are in for some bad news: The toll on the alternative road to Alwar is set to be raised too.

The Haryana government Wednesday announced an increase of one and a half times in the toll tax on the Gurgaon-Sohna-Nuh-Alwar road “to discourage the vehicles on NH-8 taking diversion to this road”.

The matter was approved by the Haryana cabinet which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The new rates of toll tax, which would have been made applicable with effect from April 1, 2012, now become effective immediately.

“The decision to revise the rates of toll tax on Gurgaon-Sohna-Nuh-Alwar road has been necessitated to discourage the vehicles on NH-8 taking diversion to this road and for better revenue,” a state government spokesman said here after the meeting.

“The commuters are using Gurgaon-Sohha-Nuh-Alwar Road as an alternative route to save heavy toll being charged by National Highway Authority of India on NH-8,” he added.

“As the Gurgaon-Sohna-Nuh-Alwar Road (up to Rajasthan border) has recently been improved at a cost of Rs.347.87 crore, there would be further tendency of toll-able vehicles to use this road as an alternative route,” he added.

As per the revised rates, trucks laden with goods, multi-axle vehicles and earth movers would be charged at a rate of Rs.300 per trip. Buses or mini-buses would be charged Rs.300 per trip, including return journey, and Rs.450 for a daily pass and Rs.9,000 for a monthly pass.

Maxi-cabs would pay Rs.20 per trip and light commercial goods vehicle would pay Rs.50 per trip. Vehicles having more than 10 tyres would pay Rs. 450 per trip.

The vehicles which have been exempted from payment of toll tax include defence vehicles, non-commercial vehicles of the state and central government and essential services like police, ambulances, fire services and funeral vans.