8/14/2019 24.12.08.Dh.nice Eyewash, 25% Cut in Toll Rates

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DH NEWS SERVICE

BANGALORE: Succumbing to sustainedand intense pressure from various quar-ters, the Nandi Infrastructure CorridorEnterprises (NICE) on Tuesday an-nounced an 18 to 28 per cent reduction intoll tariff for the 41 km peripheral roadand the 9.1 km link road under the Ban-

galore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor(BMIC) project. The revised rates willcome into effect from January 1.

Deccan Heraldhad highlighted thedisparity in toll rates of NICE with thosein the North through a series of articles.A comparison with other toll roads in thecountry had revealed that a drive on theBMIC road would be the costliest for a

commuter. Now, with the revised rates,motorists will still be paying a high tollin relative terms. There is no relief formotorcyclists too, who will have to paythe toll unlike many other toll roads inthe country.

NICE Managing Director Ashok Khe-ny released the revised rates at a crowd-ed press conference here on Tuesday. As

per the new rates, the per kilometrecharge will be Rs 1.9 for cars, Rs 5.5 forbuses, Rs 3.65 for trucks, Rs 2.15 for lightcarrier vehicles, Rs 3.9 for multi-axle ve-hicles and 75 paise for two-wheelers.

The existing rates per kilometre are2.65 for cars, Rs 7 for buses, Rs 4.55 fortrucks, Rs 2.8 for light carrier vehicles Rs4.9 for multi-axle vehicles and Rs 1 for

two-wheelers.Kheny contended that the revised

rates were fixed after much calculation,and should be welcomed by all becausethe roads were meant for saving time andmoney of the commuters. According toKheny, cars would save around four min-utes and Rs 2.7 per kilometre whiletrucks saved six minutes and Rs 8.8 per

kilometre. After the revised rates comeinto effect, the saving per kilometre willbe Rs 3.42 for the cars and Rs 9.71 for the

trucks. The calculation is based on thesavings of fuel for plying on the jerk-freeBMIC. Kheny confirmed that motorcy-clists would be given no exemption, andthey were not planning to do so in futurealso. We are giving a concession of 25per cent in our revised rates for the mo-

torists. Thats all, said Kheny. He alsorefused to give any free passes to localswho had lost their land and to people liv-ing in the vicinity of the BMIC road.This provision does not exist anywherein India and the same cannot be appliedhere, Kheny argued.

Responding to criticism that he hadbuilt a concrete road as had been man-

dated in the terms and conditions of theFramework Agreement, Kheny said thestatement of building concrete road in-stead of bitumen road was incorrect. Hesaid the company had provided over-passes and underpasses in every 500 me-tres (on an average) and this would resultin settlement of the earth in and aroundthese structures. This would have dam-

aged a cement road, as it happened in thecase of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

See also Page 7

NICE eyewash: Smallcut in toll rates

REVISED TOLL RATES FOR

COMPLETED STRETCH OF PRR

Vehicle Current Revised % Reduction

Car 104 78 25

Bus 281 223 20.65

Truck 181 148 18.23

2wheeler 42 30 28.57