Chandimandir toll plaza on the Zirakpur–Parwanoo stretch of National Highway 5 is causing delays of 30 minutes to an hour during peak periods, with commuters reporting failed digital payments, slow tolling, inadequate staffing and insufficient arrangements for vehicles facing payment problems.
The congestion is affecting local residents as well as travellers heading towards hill destinations including Kasauli and Shimla. Traffic jams have been reported on both weekdays and weekends, making the toll plaza a recurring bottleneck on one of the main routes connecting the Chandigarh-Panchkula region with Himachal Pradesh.
The plaza, established in 2012, previously handled around 30,000 to 35,000 vehicles a day. That volume has now increased to about 50,000 vehicles, according to the report. The higher traffic load has added pressure to toll operations, while commuters say existing lanes and payment arrangements have not kept pace with demand.
Residents have particularly flagged problems involving FASTag and Unified Payments Interface transactions. Vijay Bansal, president of Shivalik Vikas Manch, said vehicles with insufficient FASTag balances have had to use UPI payments after cash collection was stopped on April 1. He said weak mobile network connectivity can cause UPI transactions to fail, leaving vehicles stationary and slowing entire lanes.
Bansal also cited FASTag reading failures, inadequate staffing and non-functional or insufficient lanes. He has demanded handheld FASTag readers and a separate lane for vehicles experiencing payment difficulties. He has further sought a prescribed service time of 10 seconds per vehicle during peak hours and passage without payment when queues extend beyond the marked 100-metre line.
The problems have also affected residents using concessional passes. Bansal said passes that were earlier issued for one year are now being issued for only three months. He said automatic deduction of the monthly pass fee from FASTag balances and online renewal payments have reportedly been discontinued, forcing residents to visit the plaza in person.
Mahender Kumar, a resident of Pinjore, described the toll plaza as one of the major congestion points on the highway. He said road users who pay for the facility should receive improved toll collection services and faster action to address persistent operational problems.
Bansal has served a legal notice on the National Highways Authority of India and the deputy commissioner of police (Traffic). The NHAI had not responded at the time of the report. DCP (Crime-Traffic) Amrinder Singh said police intervene when required to regulate traffic and clear congestion caused by FASTag-related technical issues, rush hours or other factors.
Singh added that police personnel also respond to quarrels, altercations and law-and-order situations between drivers and toll plaza staff, taking appropriate action. The next operational response from the NHAI, including action on payment failures, staffing, lane capacity and pass renewals, remains awaited.
