DND toll plaza is one big hindrance affective traffic and the lives of commuters on both sides of Noida & Delhi. Despite its high toll charge i.e. Rs 28 per visit & only toll to collect from 2 wheelers Rs 12 per visit, it doesn't offer any relief to the people who go to Noida to work on daily basis or cross it because they live nearby. Hundreds of vehicles line up along the 5-km stretch between Ashram and Noida toll plaza awaiting clearance at the toll entrance to proceed. DND flyover is a classic case of how Public Private Partnerships (PPP) can be used by the corporate-bureaucratic-politician nexus to loot the nation.

When we pay road tax, why should we also have to shell out for toll fee — this is a constant refrain of many road users. The DND brings out the traps in which nation may fall while adopting the route of the PPP for road development. It is a direct outcome of the corruption and weak institutions for implementing PPP and other market based approaches. As it was one of the first such projects to be undertaken, the lack of any coherent policies, clear guidelines for investors and government agencies, lack of clarity about government support and risk sharing framework were the main cause of this. Also, unpreparedness and lack of capacity of the government agencies can also be blamed. But since then several corrective steps have been taken.

The Noida Toll Bridge Corporation Ltd (NTBCL), a subsidiary of infrastructure behemoth Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS), that operates the toll bridge has virtually patented the monopoly on extortion rights. And cushioning this toll monopoly are none other than the governments of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh (UP) whose 'support' to the private company has now forced people to protest on the streets for removing the toll.The Support Agreement that was signed initially stated that the governments of Delhi and UP would not 'propose, recommend, implement or permit to be implemented' any toll free bridge or road which spans across the Yamuna river between Okhla Barrage and the Nizamuddin Bridge for a period of 10 years or till the time the road achieves 'full rated capacity'. Full-rated capacity was defined as a peak hour movement of 16,000 cars.

Residents in the National Capital Region (NCR) have long been maintaining that even ambulances cannot make their way through the serpentine queues and traffic snarls on the Noida toll bridge. The toll road operators are playing with human lives. If anyone living in Noida has to make an emergency visit to nearby hospitals of Delhi, they have no option but to go through the toll bridge. They have collected more than they invested. It is time to close this toll and dismantle the booths.

You cannot build a city on tolls. Convenience of the people should not be based on tolls. People in the city should be able to move fast and free.