Petition seeks end to Electronics City flyover toll after concession period ends

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The nearly 10-km Electronics City Flyover, located along Hosur Road between Bommanahalli near the Central Silk Board and Electronics City, was initiated in 2006 and inaugurated on January 22, 2010.

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According to the petition, the 20-year concession period began in 2006 and ended on September 10, 2026. | Photo Credit: BHAGYA PRAKASH

An online petition has urged the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to stop toll collection on Bengaluru’s Electronics City Flyover following the end of its concession period.

The nearly 10-km Electronics City Flyover, located along Hosur Road between Bommanahalli near the Central Silk Board and Electronics City, was initiated in 2006 and inaugurated on January 22, 2010. It was constructed by Bengaluru Elevated Tollway Limited (BETL) at an estimated cost of around β‚Ή1,000 crore under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model.

According to the petition on Change.org, the 20-year concession period began in 2006 and ended on September 10, 2026. During this period, BETL was authorised to collect toll to recover the costs of building, operating and maintaining the infrastructure, along with a reasonable return on its investment.

The petition, filed by Rajkumar Dugar, founder and convenor of Citizens for Citizens, argues that toll collection should have been stopped from September 11, 2026, with the flyover subsequently taken over by NHAI for maintenance.

β€œThe toll covers the total costs incurred by the concessionaire to build, operate and maintain the infrastructure, along with a reasonable return on their investment,” he said.

He also pointed to the continued presence of the Attibele Toll Plaza, located just 14 km further along the highway. The petition refers to the current NHAI rule prescribing a standard minimum distance of 60 km between two adjacent toll plazas on the same section of a National Highway in the same direction.

The petition notes that the Electronics City toll plaza currently charges β‚Ή65 for cars, jeeps and vans for a single journey, while other vehicle categories are charged between β‚Ή25 and β‚Ή365.

Mr. Dugar and the petition signatories have urged NHAI and MoRTH to urgently decide on a practical arrangement for the flyover’s future maintenance and toll collection. They have also raised concerns about waterlogging and flooding in the dip or valley section of the flyover, and urged authorities to ensure maintenance is not compromised after the concession period.

The petition argues that continuing the existing toll arrangement could set a precedent for other toll plazas after their concession periods expire.

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