Delhi-Gurgaon expressway toll plazas annoy commuters, buyers

The failure in efficient management at the toll plazas located on the 27.5 km-long Delhi-Gurgaon expressway has been hampering the real estate development in the region.

You might be wondering how toll plazas affect real estate; the buyers end up waiting hours at the toll plazas in Delhi-Gurgaon expressway while commuting between Delhi and Gurgaon. This waiting time consumes a lot of patience and is resulting in many buyers turning off from the deal.

Though the infrastructure of the expressway is an incomparable one, it is not proving advantageous to the commuters as the toll plazas are acting as a blockage for people to buy property as they have become major commuting barriers.

It has been observed that most people living in big cities, do not mind residing in the outskirts unless there is an effective and fast commuting option like Delhi Metro. If the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway toll plazas are maintained well and waiting time is cut down, then it would surely attract many potential investors leading to a realty boom.

Unfortunately, even after five years that the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway became functional, the toll plazas at Sirhaul near Ambience Mall and Kherki Daula near Haldiram, are being ill-maintained. Traffic jams and congestion is a common sight at these pockets of the road, as the company operating the toll plazas failed to implement the measures as per the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Around five million square feet of ready-to-use commercial and residential space is lying vacant near Manesar, as there are no buyers owing to the uncertainty in the commuting time. According to industry experts, about five million square feet of ready-to-use residential and commercial plots near Manesar have no takers because of the unpredictability of the commuting time.

The demand for residential and commercial properties coming up in and around Manesar, on the upcoming Northern Peripheral Road or the Dwarka expressway, and the Southern Peripheral Road, is being hampered by the prolonged waiting time at Kherki Daula toll plaza.

Many developers owning projects along National Highway-8 admit that they have come across many instances wherein buyers hesitate to invest in their projects as they will have to travel through this route every day which is very time-consuming. At times, due to the heavy traffic jams near the toll plazas, it takes double the time actually required for one to reach the other end. The developers allege that if the two toll plazas are maintained smoothly, then the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway can turn out to be a new growth engine for real estate sector.

Not only the buyers and investors, but also the long-time residents who have been commuting in this route are upset with this issue. Those who work at Gurgaon and reside in Delhi (or the vice versa) are also facing difficulty in commuting along this route.