MNC cabs avoid lightless Faridabad road

GURGAON: More than a month after the commencement of toll charges on the Gurgaon-Faridabad road, there has not been much development in terms of lighting and communication. The high-speed road, which passes through the Aravalis, has also recorded a large number of accidents mainly because of speeding and wandering animals.
Many commuters, particularly women, say they can't use the road at night because it's dark and 'unsafe'.The road developer, on the other hand, says reflectors have been installed throughout the stretch: "We are not responsible for installation of streetlights on the route. It is the job of the PWD and other state agencies," said Manoj, a toll plaza management official of Reliance Infrastructure.
The private concessionaire says that its agreement with the Haryana government deals with construction and maintenance of the road only: "Streetlighting on the toll road was not mentioned in the concession agreement. However we have installed 10 high-mass lamps on the road," said another Reliance Infrastructure %official.
But commuters are not impressed by the manner in which the concessionaire and the state officials have been passing the buck. "This road cuts down travel time between Gurgaon and Faridabad by half during peak evening hours. I would like to use it every day, but my company doesn't allow the cab to use this stretch because it's dark at night. As a result, I get stuck in traffic on Mehrauli road on a daily basis," said Sneha Goyal, a Faridabad resident who works at an MNC in Gurgaon.
Lack of communication facilities like telephone booths also makes commuters feel unsafe. Most mobile networks are also unreachable on the stretch because it passes through a jungle in the Aravalis. "In case of an emergency you have no support system on this road. There are no telephone booths like on NH-8 and your mobile doesn't work. It's scary at night," said Ahish Godara, a Gurgaon resident.
While the permitted speed limit on the stretch is 80kph, motorists are often seen driving at more than 100kph. The speeding vehicles often meet with accidents because of wandering stray animals. Herds of grazing cows coming on to the road is commpnplace. But not much has been done to ensure that these animals don't disrupt the traffic.
One can't miss a sight of cows, bulls, dogs, pigs, goats and even wild antelopes like nilgai wandering on the road. Especially at night, cows and bulls sitting in the middle of the road pose a safety threat to both the commuters and themselves. Even policemen say they can't do much about stray animals: "If you have a road in the middle of a jungle, you will always have the problem of animals wandering on it. But what is noteworthy is the fact that most the cows belong to villagers in the neighbourhood." said Brijwani, traffic policeman posted on the road.
There are only two traffic police posts to punish those who cross the speed limit. Similarly, the frequency of night patrolling by police needs to go up. The toll plaza is equipped with an ambulance, patrol car and a crane to clear the road in case of accidents.
Reliance Infrastructure through its Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) - GF Toll Road Private Limited recently finished four-laning of Gurgaon-Faridabad corridor and two laning of Ballabhgarh-Sohna corridor.
It was the company's first state road project executed on a BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) system for Haryana Public Works Department (PWD). The project will be transferred to the government after a concession period of 17 years during which the road will be operated and maintained by the firm.
The 66-km corridor includes Gurgaon-Faridabad, Ballabhgarh-Sohna, Pali Bakri, Surajkund Road. The 25-km Gurgaon-Faridabad stretch, starting from Gurgaon's Mehrauli Road in Sikanderpur and ending at the junction of Pali Bhakri Road in Faridabad, has been built by widening the exiting two-lane road to four lanes.