By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 15: Many tourist taxi vehicles plying along the Guwahati-Shillong road often avoid paying toll at the Umling toll plaza, claiming that they pay a monthly amount of Rs 1,500 to a vendor at the plaza.
A ride in a tourist taxi between Shillong and Guwahati revealed that several drivers have made an internal arrangement, allowing them to bypass the toll that would otherwise be deducted automatically through the FASTag lane.
Instead, these cabbies use another lane at the toll plaza meant for two-wheelers, VIPs and local vehicles of Ri-Bhoi district, which are exempted from toll payment.
One driver, who passed through such a lane without paying a single rupee, explained, “We pay Rs 1,500 to the vendor on a monthly basis. If we pay as per the FASTag rates, we would spend a huge amount of money every month as we ply this road daily. But this internal arrangement is working fine for many of us.”
He added that while many drivers continue to pay the regular toll, others prefer the monthly system.
When contacted, an NHAI official said the matter would definitely be looked into, adding that the authority has recently introduced a new system.
