Now Reading: Telangana govt blocks ORR toll hike for two years, cites safety
-
01
Telangana govt blocks ORR toll hike for two years, cites safety
The Telangana government has refused to permit any toll hike on Hyderabad's Outer Ring Road (ORR) for the past two years, despite rising traffic and demands from operator IRB Golconda Expressway Private…
The Story in Brief
The Telangana government has refused to permit any toll hike on Hyderabad's Outer Ring Road (ORR) for the past two years, despite rising traffic and demands from operator IRB Golconda Expressway Private Ltd. The company had submitted proposals for revisions in 2025 and 2026 under a Wholesale Price Index mechanism, but both were rejected, sources told Times of India.
Chief minister A Revanth Reddy expressed dissatisfaction with ORR maintenance and directed officials to improve upkeep. Daily traffic on the expressway has risen from 1.9 lakh vehicles in August 2023 to 2.5 lakh now. IRB Golconda earns around Rs 700-720 crore annually from tolls. The two sides are also trading blame over accidents, sanitation, and illegal parking. A multi-departmental committee has been set up to recommend safety measures.
The Indian Opinion
Both sides are playing the blame game while commuters suffer. The government is right to demand safety before raising tolls, but rejecting all revisions for two years without transparent benchmarks looks political. The operator, meanwhile, cannot escape its contractual duties by pointing at police or municipal workers. The real test will be the multi-departmental committee's recommendations: will they force IRB to spend on safety, or will the government finally allow a modest hike tied to measurable improvements? Numbers and deadlines must follow.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
