RECENTLY, I used the dual carriageway between Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas.
On my way, I found the road to be bumpy and uneven. When I reached the toll plaza, I was asked to pay Rs105 for my one-way journey. I was a bit surprised because the toll was seriously high in view of the poor condition of the carriageway.
On exploring the matter, I found that the contract was given to a South Korean company in 2009 on a 32-year lease. The length of the carriageway is merely 60km.
Some friends told me they pay the same amount to travel between Hyderabad and Tandojam, which is a distance of 20km.
Apart from being in a shambles, the carriageway has only two lanes on each side, with high-speed cars and heavy vehicles sharing one lane, while rickshaws and motorcycles using the other. Cars are forced to travel at a speed of 40-50kmph.
Drivers must install d-tag to use the route.
Otherwise, they are limited to just two cash toll booths, leading to massive traffic jams. Requiring separate tags m-tag for motorways and d-tag for carriageways is inconvenient and inefficient.
