Pay Rs 1,800 toll for single trip on Ganga Exoressway

Lucknow: A car owner commuting between Meerut and Prayagraj or vice versa via the 594-km-long Ganga Expressway will have to pay Rs 1,800 toll for a single trip.

Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) announced the toll for motor vehicles soon after the expressway was thrown open for the public on Wednesday. The toll for two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and tractors will be Rs 905, while mini bus and commercial vehicles will pay Rs 2,840 for the single trip.

Buses and trucks, heavy construction machinery and earth-moving vehicles will be charged Rs 5,720 and Rs 8,760, respectively, while vehicles having seven or more axles (heavy haulers, trailers, heavy cranes or earth movers) will pay the highest user charge of Rs 11,265 for single trip.

Commuters returning within 24 hours via Ganga Expressway would pay a slightly lower fare since the private toll companies deputed to collect the charges have been asked to deduct 80% of the actual round-trip charges (a car owner instead of Rs 3,600 would be asked to pay about Rs 2,880, and a two-wheeler rider would pay Rs 1,448 for a return trip instead of Rs 1,810). Similar tariff would be applicable on other categories of motor vehicles.

The six-lane Ganga Expressway will link 12 UP districts between west, central and eastern UP. Commissioned within a period of three years and three months under the public-private-partnership model with a budget of Rs 36,230 crore, the expressway has been divided into four packages -- the first spanning 129.70km was developed by IRB Infrastructure, while the remaining three stretches spanning 151.70 km, 155.70 km and 156.8 km were constructed by Adani Road Transport Limited (an entity of Adani Enterprises Limited).

At present, a commuter travelling from Meerut to Prayagraj via Aligarh, Etah, Kanpur and Fatehpur takes an average of 11 to 13 hours to cover a distance of 700km. With an option to travel safely at a maximum speed of 120 km in an hour, the commute time would now come down to six to seven hours.

Security personnel, camera-vigil for safety and security

UPEIDA Additional CEO Sri Hari Pratap Shahi said adequate arrangements and deployment have been made to ensure safety of the commuters on the expressway. A total of nine wayside amenities will be monitored through cameras and security personnel will be deployed to maintain safety and security, he said.

Six police patrolling vehicles would maintain vigil in every package to regulate traffic and check violation of rules. Similarly, 18 advanced ambulances, eight heavy-duty cranes, eight towing vans and four hydraulic cranes (used to pick-and-carry completely damaged or immobile vehicle) would be stationed to keep the expressway free from unwarranted obstructions and hazards.

Officials said commuters in distress can make emergency calls over the centralised number 14449. Designed to maintain a speed of up to 120km/hour, a medical post to provide first-aid to the injured has been established along the 19 exits as well as two main plazas set up over the main carriageway at the starting and ending point of the high-speed corridor. Across the 21 locations, an ambulance with a driver and two paramedics too would be kept on standby.

Demand for additional police patrolling vans would be raised in the coming days in case congestion or bottlenecks are getting reported at the locations where Ganga Expressway intersects with national highways en route.

AI-based cams to send alerts during crashes

Adani Enterprises, which will collect tolls on the three packages of the Ganga Expressway, said artificial intelligence-based surveillance cameras will be used to generate real-time alerts to detect car crashes. “Emergency response system would be activated immediately to reach out to the individuals seeking help. The AI system is equipped to provide the exact location with geographical coordinates to the emergency response vehicles,” the company said in a statement. Adani Enterprises developed 464km of the stretch (almost 80% of the overall project). According to the estimates provided by UP govt, the expressway would help save Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 crore annually by improving the logistics.
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