Rohini toll plaza starts operating

EOIC, Kurseong, 1 December 2013: The toll plaza on Rohini road was today formally inaugurated by acting GTA chief executive Col (Retd) Ramesh Allay in the presence of GTA principal secretary RD Meena, Darjeeling DM Punit Yadav and other GTA members and dignitaries. 
Allay said keeping in mind the interest of commuters and protests raised regarding the toll rates, the GTA has made a downward revision to the fees. He said the funds collected would be used for the maintenance and development of the road, adding development works on other roads in the hills must also be initiated. 
GTA principal secretary RD Meena recalled when toll plazas had first started running in the country in places such as Delhi, Jaipur, Noida and Mumbai, there had been a lot of protests, but now people have started demanding more four-lane roads for which they are ready to pay any amount in toll taxes. He congratulated the agency who redesigned the Rohini road saying its work has been appreciated by the central and state governments including the GTA. 
At the same time, Meena urged the agency to complete its redesigning work on the Pankhabari road within six months in order to mitigate traffic burdens for Rohini. 
The Rohini road was constructed in 2007 by clearing tea bushes and rough terrain at a cost of Rs10.63 crore and redesigned a few years later by pumping in more than Rs27 crore. 
The redesigning has been done on a 17km stretch of the road. 
Toll fees in Rohini will be reportedly collected by an agency named Queen of Hills Toll Plaza for a year on behalf of the GTA.