Double Toll collection on NH45. Any idea ? I drove down to Kerala from Chennai on 12-Sep-06. After Tambaram, the road (toll road section of N45) is a dream till Tindivanam and at the toll gate, I paid the usual toll amount of 20/-. After driving many kms, reach the next toll gate, where we usually need to just show the toll paid receipt.
But the guy tells me that I need to pay another 20/- for the next stretch. I tell him that I have done this road many times and this is the first time I hear something like this. He says that a notification to this effect has come recently. I ask him for the notification and he says that he ran out of copies. I tell him, nothing doing without it. He waves me on, but adds that the rules have indeed changed. I wonder whether he was trying to con people using the road and drive on.
I return to Chennai on 20-Sep-06 and again pay 20/- at the 1st gate. No one mentions anything about having to pay again at the next gate. At the next gate, I show the receipt, but the guys says I need to pay another 20 bucks for the next stretch. On demand, he shows a tattered photostat copy of a notification with a one-liner mentioning collection of toll for the 2 stretches separately. Have to pay 20bucks. I can see the other vehicles also coughing up the 2nd toll, after some initial disbelief and arguments.
Get the receipt and see that the car regn number is different on both receipts. The 1st receipt had the full and correct number, while the 2nd one has just the last 4-digits and that too wrong by a digit. Looks kind of deliberate to me and I go back and ask. He offers to correct it with a pen.
Since I was too tired after the long journey and it was like midnight, I leave it at that.
Any idea whether this is genuine or are these guys taking us for a ride ?
I mean, all this time, they charged only 20 for the whole stretch and then one fine day double the toll. Is it correct ?
Last edited by supremeBaleno : 22nd August 2006 at 15:48.
|