City Reporter: Although all preparations have been completed, no toll collection is being made on the city’s first elevated expressway from today. To ensure transparency, arrangements are being made to send the toll money directly to the bank. However, a source has hinted that toll collection may begin from the first day of the year, January 1. The toll collection process was supposed to start from Thursday at the toll plaza set up at the Patenga end of the expressway.
Sources said that the 16.5-kilometer-long elevated expressway from Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga at a cost of Tk 4,298 crore was supposed to start toll collection from the beginning. However, despite the trial operation of vehicles for the past few months, no toll has been collected. The toll for the elevated expressway has already been fixed by the ministry. The CDA has also completed the construction work of the toll plaza at the Patenga end. CDA had already announced that vehicles will have to pay a fixed toll from 10 am on December 19 (today). But at the last minute, it was decided to postpone the toll collection process for a few days. A source has hinted that the toll collection may start from January 1.
However, CDA Chairman Engineer Nurul Karim said we will start collecting tolls in a few days. Even if everything is fine, we want to make a little more preparation. Especially to ensure transparency, we are trying to make a system to send the toll money to the bank. He also said that the toll collection process will start once this is done.
It is worth noting that the ministry has approved the new toll rate, allowing 10 types of vehicles to operate on the elevated expressway. In this, the fare for CNG taxis going from GEC, CRB, Agrabad to CEPZ, Cement Crossing, KEPZ, and Sea Beach will be fixed at Tk 30, for cars at Tk 80, for jeeps and microbuses at Tk 100, for pickups at Tk 150, for minibuses at Tk 200, for buses at Tk 280, for trucks (four wheels) at Tk 200, for trucks (six wheels) at Tk 300, and for covered vans at Tk 450. In addition, the fare for CNG taxis going from Sea Beach, KEPZ, and CEPZ to Nimtala, Agrabad, Tiger Pass, and Lalkhan Bazar will be fixed at Tk 30; for cars at Tk 80; for jeeps and microbuses at Tk 100; for pickups at Tk 150; for minibuses at Tk 200; for buses at Tk 280; for trucks (four wheels) at Tk 200; for trucks (six wheels) at Tk 300; and for covered vans at Tk 450. From GEC and Tiger Pass to Agrabad, get off at Fakirhat and then Nimtala; from Agrabad Access Road to Lalkhan Bazar and get off at Tiger Pass, the toll for vehicles is 20 taka for CNG taxi, 50 taka for car, 70 taka for jeep, 90 taka for microbus, 130 taka for pickup, 180 taka for minibus, 250 taka for bus, 180 taka for truck (four-wheeler), and 180 taka for truck (six-wheeler), and covered vans have been banned in this section of the expressway. The ministry’s approved toll proposal has banned the movement of motorcycles and trailers.
Although the rate of up and down at various points has been fixed in the toll approved by the ministry, now only from Muradpur and Baby Supermarket can be climbed up and down to Lalkhan Bazar. Toll will be collected up to Lalkhan Bazar while climbing from Patenga. However, if anyone wants, they can take the expressway via Akhtaruzzaman Flyover and get off at Muradpur or Bayezid Road in Sholashar. On the other hand, no matter which point of the city one takes the expressway from, they will have to pay the prescribed toll from Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga when getting off.
