Protest against Noida toll tax, traffic hit

Noida: Around 250 workers of the Noida Vikas Manch on Sunday protested at the DND (Delhi Noida Direct) flyway demanding that the stretch be made toll-free, leading to traffic snarls.

Police said the protesters reached the flyway, which connects Delhi and Noida, around 10.30 a.m. demanding that the toll be scrapped as its tenure was over.

They said that the Gurgaon expressway toll, which started after the DND toll, has been discontinued, but the Noida toll continues.

"Workers of the Noida Vikas Manch started their protest at the DND flyway over their many demands, including proper map of some unauthorised areas. To make the DND toll free is one of their demands," Gautam Buddha Nagar Senior Superintendent of Police Vijay Dull told IANS.

A DND official told IANS that they have been "incurring heavy losses and have not been able to recover the cost", and hence, with due permission from the authorities, continue to levy the toll.

Meanwhile, commuters faced some difficulties as traffic had to be diverted following the protest.

"It normally takes me 30 minutes to reach Noida from Green Park, but today it took me nearly two hours. All bus routes were diverted because of the demonstration," Astha Saxena, an executive in a private firm, told IANS.

Another commuter, Arpit Hooda, a resident of south Delhi's Ashram area, said it took him around 50 minutes to reach office in Noida Sector 18, compared to 15 minutes that it takes every day.