The Environment Pollution (Protection and Control) Authority, or EPCA, for the NCR has warned authorities against obstructing high-speed traffic on the Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) Flyway.
After the DND was made toll-free, commercial vehicles started evading the payment of green tax and municipal toll. To prevent that, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) installed two toll booths for the collection of the taxes, which disrupted the traffic flow on the stretch.
Dr Bhure Lal, chairman of EPCA, told the authorities that it had been brought to his notice that vehicles plying on DND were being stopped to collect taxes. "This causes massive traffic snarls," said Dr Lal. "And commuters are inconvenienced. Why should they suffer for these commercial vehicles? The route must be cleared to allow free movement of private vehicles."
SDMC installed two toll booths next to the old toll plaza to ensure commercial vehicles do not evade the green tax and municipal toll.
Mukesh Yadav, spokesperson for SDMC, said as the toll plaza was owned by a private company and the areas fall under the jurisdiction of Noida Authority, the corporation has sought permission from them to utilise the available infrastructure. "The corporation won't have any problem in shifting the toll booths if these authorities allow them to use their facilities," added Yadav.
Sanjeev Saran, additional chief secretary, department of environment and forest, UP government, instructed Noida Authority to allow SDMC to use the available infrastructure for toll collection. "SDMC can utilise a lane or two for their tax collection and allow traffic to pass through the remaining lanes," added Saran.
