BJP protestors force open toll booths on DND flyway
10 April 2015 4:24 AM IST
The BJP workers, who protested at the plaza for four hours, forced open the toll booths on both sides of the carriageway.
The BJP agitation also paralysed traffic of the flyway and commuters plying between Noida and Delhi faced massive traffic jams and more than 10,000 vehicles plied during the free hours. With the high-speed road blocked, commuters thronged on other roads joining both the cities, resulting chaos
across most parts.
Early in the morning, more than one thousand people reached the DND flyway and started protesting against the toll operators. The protesters sat at dharna near the toll booths. When the DND staff resisted their move, the protesters forcibly opened toll the barriers.
Led by BJP leaders Vimla Batham and Nawab Singh Naagar, the party workers blocked both sides of the road. This continued for four hours. They pointed out that the Gurgaon expressway toll, which started after the DND toll, had been discontinued, but the Noida toll still continues.
“We have given a notice to the district administration, asking them to free the carriageway within 15 days. We will intensify our protest if our demand is not accepted,” said Batham.
Due to the protest, vehicular movement on the carriageway was paralysed between 9 am to 1 pm. Traffic was gridlocked between Ashram in New Delhi and Mahamaya flyover in Noida. Vehicles inched along the 7.5 km stretch as well as the 1.5 kilometres long Mayur Vihar link.
Within hours of protest, traffic volume increased on the Kalindi Kunj road and Jhundpura road. “It normally takes me 45 minutes to reach Noida from Sarojini Nagar but today (Wednesday) it took me nearly two hours. All the bus routes were diverted because of the demonstration,” said
Amit Kumar, an executive working with a private company. The DND official said that they have been “incurring heavy losses and have not been able to recover the cost”, hence, with due permission from the authorities, they would continue to levy the tax. “With the opening of the toll barriers, the toll company faced an estimated revenue loss of around Rs 6 to 8 lakhs.”
The BJP agitation also paralysed traffic of the flyway and commuters plying between Noida and Delhi faced massive traffic jams and more than 10,000 vehicles plied during the free hours. With the high-speed road blocked, commuters thronged on other roads joining both the cities, resulting chaos
across most parts.
Early in the morning, more than one thousand people reached the DND flyway and started protesting against the toll operators. The protesters sat at dharna near the toll booths. When the DND staff resisted their move, the protesters forcibly opened toll the barriers.
Led by BJP leaders Vimla Batham and Nawab Singh Naagar, the party workers blocked both sides of the road. This continued for four hours. They pointed out that the Gurgaon expressway toll, which started after the DND toll, had been discontinued, but the Noida toll still continues.
“We have given a notice to the district administration, asking them to free the carriageway within 15 days. We will intensify our protest if our demand is not accepted,” said Batham.
Due to the protest, vehicular movement on the carriageway was paralysed between 9 am to 1 pm. Traffic was gridlocked between Ashram in New Delhi and Mahamaya flyover in Noida. Vehicles inched along the 7.5 km stretch as well as the 1.5 kilometres long Mayur Vihar link.
Within hours of protest, traffic volume increased on the Kalindi Kunj road and Jhundpura road. “It normally takes me 45 minutes to reach Noida from Sarojini Nagar but today (Wednesday) it took me nearly two hours. All the bus routes were diverted because of the demonstration,” said
Amit Kumar, an executive working with a private company. The DND official said that they have been “incurring heavy losses and have not been able to recover the cost”, hence, with due permission from the authorities, they would continue to levy the tax. “With the opening of the toll barriers, the toll company faced an estimated revenue loss of around Rs 6 to 8 lakhs.”
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