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Commuters travelling between Delhi and its neighbouring NCR cities face a daily ordeal—either pay a Rs 100 entry fee for cabs or sit in endless queues at border crossings. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) collects a ‘green tax’ at multiple points, leading to traffic snarls that waste time and fuel, as reported by TOI.
For years, these issues have persisted with little resolution. Now, however, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. A twin strategy involving the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and legal intervention by the central government aims to tackle the root cause of the congestion.
NHAI’s Push to Relocate Toll Booths
A major source of gridlock is the positioning of toll collection points directly on the main carriageways of highways leading into Delhi. Two of the busiest routes—NH48 (Delhi-Gurgaon) and NH9 (Delhi-Ghaziabad-Noida)—are severely impacted.
To address this, NHAI plans to request MCD to shift all toll collection points away from the highways’ Right of Way (RoW). According to sources within NHAI, this move could dramatically reduce congestion by allowing smoother vehicular movement at border crossings.
Legal Intervention: The Supreme Court Route
The road transport ministry and Haryana government are preparing to approach the Supreme Court, seeking modifications to a 2015 order on the collection of Environmental Compensation Charge (ECC) from commercial goods vehicles.
ECC is distinct from the entry tax—cabs are exempt, but medium and heavy vehicles must pay the charge. However, the physical collection of ECC at five major entry points—Sirhaul (Gurgaon), Ghazipur (NH9), Badarpur (NH19), Tikri (NH10), and Kundli (N44)—has become another bottleneck. The authorities argue that these toll points should be moved further away from Delhi’s borders to alleviate congestion.
A source privy to the discussions stated, “Since the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways are operational and were built specifically to divert commercial vehicles around Delhi, there is a strong case for modifying the court’s order. One proposal is to collect ECC from vehicles exiting these expressways before they enter Delhi.”
A Tech-Driven Solution: Overhead Tolling
To modernise the system, NHAI is also working on an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)-based gantry tolling mechanism. This system will eliminate the need for physical toll plazas by automatically deducting the entry fee from FASTag wallets. However, for this to work seamlessly, MCD’s toll collection system must be integrated with NHAI’s existing FASTag infrastructure.
Currently, MCD uses a separate system where toll collectors manually scan number plates with mobile devices. This outdated method adds to delays, but a unified ANPR-based system could bring much-needed efficiency.
Political Will and Bureaucratic Hurdles
The roadmap to resolving border congestion was firmed up in a recent meeting involving the central government, Delhi government, and Haryana government. With all three under BJP-led administrations, coordination should, in theory, be smooth. However, the real test lies in execution—how swiftly the proposed changes can be implemented and whether legal hurdles delay the process.
Recently, Road Transport Secretary V Umashankar assured the parliamentary committee on transport that the government is committed to resolving border congestion. “We are addressing the issue. We will be approaching the Supreme Court to seek relief on shifting entry fee and green tax collection points,” he told the panel.
Will This Finally End Delhi’s Traffic Nightmare?
While these measures sound promising, the success of the plan depends on multiple factors: the Supreme Court’s decision, the speed at which NHAI and MCD can implement changes, and whether the new tolling technology functions without glitches.
For now, commuters can only hope that this time, real change is on the way.
(With inputs from TOI)“,”next_sibling”:[{“msid”:119032245,”title”:”Steel buyers enter tariff era as ships rerouted, trucks halted”,”entity_type”:”ARTICLE”,”link”:”/news/industry/steel-buyers-enter-tariff-era-as-ships-rerouted-trucks-halted/119032245″,”link_next_mobile”:”/news/industry/steel-buyers-enter-tariff-era-as-ships-rerouted-trucks-halted/119032245?next=1″,”category_name”:null,”category_name_seo”:”industry”}],”related_content”:[],”seoschemas”:false,”social_share”:{“fb”:”/news/industry/delhis-border-traffic-woes-may-soon-end-heres-what-you-need-to-know/119032787?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium={{DEVICE_TYPE}}”,”x”:”/news/industry/delhis-border-traffic-woes-may-soon-end-heres-what-you-need-to-know/119032787?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium={{DEVICE_TYPE}}”,”whatsapp”:”/news/industry/delhis-border-traffic-woes-may-soon-end-heres-what-you-need-to-know/119032787?utm_source=wapp&utm_medium={{DEVICE_TYPE}}”,”linkdin”:”/news/industry/delhis-border-traffic-woes-may-soon-end-heres-what-you-need-to-know/119032787?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium={{DEVICE_TYPE}}”,”telegram”:”/news/industry/delhis-border-traffic-woes-may-soon-end-heres-what-you-need-to-know/119032787?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium={{DEVICE_TYPE}}”,”copy”:”/news/industry/delhis-border-traffic-woes-may-soon-end-heres-what-you-need-to-know/119032787?utm_source=copy&utm_medium={{DEVICE_TYPE}}”},”cat_msid”:25384693,”cat_sub_msid”:false,”msid”:119032787,”entity_type”:”ARTICLE”,”title”:”Delhi’s border traffic woes may soon end: Hereu2019s what you need to know”,”synopsis”:”he National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will push for toll booths to be moved away from main roads, while the Supreme Court may consider modifying its environmental charge collection rules.”,”titleseo”:”industry/delhis-border-traffic-woes-may-soon-end-heres-what-you-need-to-know”,”status”:”ACTIVE”,”authors”:[],”Alttitle”:{“minfo”:””},”artag”:”ET Online”,”artdate”:”2025-03-15 10:44:25″,”lastupd”:”2025-03-15 10:47:41″,”breadcrumbTags”:[“Delhi traffic congestion”,”NHAI toll booth relocation”,”Delhi NCR border traffic”,”fastag toll collection”,”Supreme Court ECC modifications”,”Automatic Number Plate Recognition tolling”,”Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways”,”road transport in Delhi”,”environmental compensation charge”],”secinfo”:{“seolocation”:”industry/delhis-border-traffic-woes-may-soon-end-heres-what-you-need-to-know”}}” data-authors=”[” data-author-list data-category-name=”Industry” data-category_id=”23″ data-cat_msid=”25384693″ data-date=”2025-03-15″ data-index=”article_1″ data-keywords=”Delhi traffic congestion, NHAI toll booth relocation, Delhi NCR border traffic, fastag toll collection, Supreme Court ECC modifications, Automatic Number Plate Recognition tolling, Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways, road transport in Delhi, environmental compensation charge” data-type=”news”>
he National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will push for toll booths to be moved away from main roads, while the Supreme Court may consider modifying its environmental charge collection rules.
- Updated On Mar 15, 2025 at 10:47 AM IST
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Commuters travelling between Delhi and its neighbouring NCR cities face a daily ordeal—either pay a Rs 100 entry fee for cabs or sit in endless queues at border crossings. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) collects a ‘green tax’ at multiple points, leading to traffic snarls that waste time and fuel, as reported by TOI.For years, these issues have persisted with little resolution. Now, however, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. A twin strategy involving the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and legal intervention by the central government aims to tackle the root cause of the congestion.
NHAI’s Push to Relocate Toll Booths
A major source of gridlock is the positioning of toll collection points directly on the main carriageways of highways leading into Delhi. Two of the busiest routes—NH48 (Delhi-Gurgaon) and NH9 (Delhi-Ghaziabad-Noida)—are severely impacted.To address this, NHAI plans to request MCD to shift all toll collection points away from the highways’ Right of Way (RoW). According to sources within NHAI, this move could dramatically reduce congestion by allowing smoother vehicular movement at border crossings.
Legal Intervention: The Supreme Court Route
The road transport ministry and Haryana government are preparing to approach the Supreme Court, seeking modifications to a 2015 order on the collection of Environmental Compensation Charge (ECC) from commercial goods vehicles.ECC is distinct from the entry tax—cabs are exempt, but medium and heavy vehicles must pay the charge. However, the physical collection of ECC at five major entry points—Sirhaul (Gurgaon), Ghazipur (NH9), Badarpur (NH19), Tikri (NH10), and Kundli (N44)—has become another bottleneck. The authorities argue that these toll points should be moved further away from Delhi’s borders to alleviate congestion.A source privy to the discussions stated, “Since the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways are operational and were built specifically to divert commercial vehicles around Delhi, there is a strong case for modifying the court’s order. One proposal is to collect ECC from vehicles exiting these expressways before they enter Delhi.”
A Tech-Driven Solution: Overhead Tolling
To modernise the system, NHAI is also working on an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)-based gantry tolling mechanism. This system will eliminate the need for physical toll plazas by automatically deducting the entry fee from FASTag wallets. However, for this to work seamlessly, MCD’s toll collection system must be integrated with NHAI’s existing FASTag infrastructure.Currently, MCD uses a separate system where toll collectors manually scan number plates with mobile devices. This outdated method adds to delays, but a unified ANPR-based system could bring much-needed efficiency.
Political Will and Bureaucratic Hurdles
The roadmap to resolving border congestion was firmed up in a recent meeting involving the central government, Delhi government, and Haryana government. With all three under BJP-led administrations, coordination should, in theory, be smooth. However, the real test lies in execution—how swiftly the proposed changes can be implemented and whether legal hurdles delay the process.
Recently, Road Transport Secretary V Umashankar assured the parliamentary committee on transport that the government is committed to resolving border congestion. “We are addressing the issue. We will be approaching the Supreme Court to seek relief on shifting entry fee and green tax collection points,” he told the panel.
Will This Finally End Delhi’s Traffic Nightmare?
While these measures sound promising, the success of the plan depends on multiple factors: the Supreme Court’s decision, the speed at which NHAI and MCD can implement changes, and whether the new tolling technology functions without glitches.
For now, commuters can only hope that this time, real change is on the way.
(With inputs from TOI)
- Published On Mar 15, 2025 at 10:44 AM IST