Corruption Watch

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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Leaks’ start bleeding NHAI toll coffers</b>
pioneer.com
Nidhi Sharma | New Delhi
For the first time since the Golden Quadrilateral project connecting the nation’s metro cities was initiated, the toll collection on key highway sections from Delhi to Mumbai, including the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway, has dipped over the last three months.

A study conducted by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the prime implementing agency for highway projects in India, has revealed that key sections have reported fall in revenue from toll collection. Confirming the dip in revenue, NHAI member (administration) KS Money said:<b> “There has been a decline in toll collection in certain sections on the Delhi-Mumbai route. We are trying to confirm the reasons.” </b>

The dip is 2-3 per cent in certain sections. The statistics might not sound alarming here, but revenue from toll always shows an upward trend because the number of vehicles and volume of traffic on the highways have been perpetually increasing over the last decade.

<b>Sources said that NHAI is suspecting leakage in the system by a handful of contractors. A senior NHAI official said: “There is a possibility that contractors are allowing vehicles to pass by, charging them an amount less than the toll. Since they don’t log the entry of that vehicle, they can easily pocket the money fro themselves.” </b>There is also the possibility of pilferage of software for not recording the passage of a vehicle at a toll plaza.
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The fall in collection is evident from the overall toll revenue statistics. T<b>he NHAI had a target of Rs 1,600 crore from toll revenue for 2008-09. However, till November 2008, it had been able to collect only Rs 890 crore. </b>
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It means, Police, Babus are taking their cut.
They are just spreading wealth around. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->