New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) A week after an army soldier was brutally assaulted during an altercation at a toll booth in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, the NHAI on Saturday terminated the contract and debarred the toll collection agency from participation in bids for one year for misbehaving with the army personnel by toll staff deployed at Bhuni Toll Plaza on Meerut-Karnal section of NH-709A.

In addition, NHAI has imposed a penalty of Rs. 20 lakhs on the toll collecting agency and the performance security of the agency amounting to Rs. 3.66 crores will be encashed towards the repair/replacement cost of the damaged equipment and infrastructure at the Bhuni Toll Plaza.

A ‘Show-Cause Notice’ was issued to the toll collecting agency M/s Dharm Singh, seeking an explanation about the incident.

“The reply from the agency was not found to be satisfactory. The agency was found to be in direct violation of contract obligations involving misconduct by toll staff, physical altercation, damage to public property and disruption of fee collection operations,” NHAI said in its press release.

To avoid recurrence of such incidents in the future, NHAI has instructed all toll collection agencies to take strong action against their employees who indulge in such behaviour with the road users and public representatives. It has also issued directions to all toll collection agencies to provide training to toll plaza staff for good behaviour with the National Highway users.

NHAI had organised a training for all toll plaza staff on the topic ‘Enhancing Customer Interaction and Communications Skills at the Toll Plazas.’ It is worth noting here that the incident occurred on August 17 at the Bhuni toll plaza in Sarurpur area when Kapil, a soldier hailing from Gotka village, was on his way to Delhi Airport.

His car was stuck in a long line of vehicles at the toll plaza. When he urged the toll plaza employees to move the vehicles quickly, it led to an altercation.

When the argument escalated, the toll plaza employees thrashed Kapil.

–IANS

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