Mumbai's Atal Setu Gets Nearly Rs 14 Cr Toll from Over 8 Lakh Vehicles in 1 Month | Exclusive

Atal Setu, the biggest sea link bridge of India which was thrown open to the public last month by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has collected Rs 13.95 crore revenue as toll from approximately 8.13 lakh vehicles so far.

The data obtained exclusively by News18 shows that 8,13,774 vehicles used this mammoth bridge between January 12 and February 13 this year. The total toll collected in the duration is Rs 13,95,85,310. The data also shows that approximately 7.97 lakh cars used the sea link in the last month.

It was expected that these vehicles and multi-axle vehicles would use the bridge in large numbers but according to the data, their number is less compared to the cars. Only 21 oversize vehicles used this sea link apart from 5,709 (4 to 6) multi-axel vehicles. A total of 2,172 three-axle vehicles used the Atal Setu along with 4,778 private buses and trucks and approximately 3,516 mini buses.

In the first month, Atal Setu earned its maximum revenue from Fast Tags — Rs 13,70,96,815. The cash toll collected at the bridge in the same span was Rs 87,04,925. At the toll plaza, Rs 1,50,99,160 was collected from motorists for not having Fast Tags on their vehicles. The MMRDA also collected Rs 62,16,430 from motorists whose Fast Tags were not active and hence had to pay toll in cash.

According to the information, 368 high-speed cameras recorded approximately 1,200 vehicles crossing the permissible speed of 100 kilometres. A Sedan-class vehicle went further ahead and touched the speed of 195 on the Setu. Though the authority has not shared the details of the vehicle, it advised against crossing the speed limit of 100.

Of the vehicles that were caught speeding on camera, 20 per cent were moving between 125 and 170km. The MMRDA has shared this information with the traffic police along with the details of drivers and now police will take further action as per the law.

The 24×7 control room continuously monitors the speed of all vehicles. Drivers do not have the opportunity to slow down near cameras and then zoom past them as the advanced cameras installed on the bridge continuously monitor the speed of the vehicle. The MMRDA has installed six helpline speakers on the bridge where motorists can seek help in case of emergencies.