84 lakh 13 thousand 290 taka have been collected from 6 booths in the last 1 year using electronic toll collection system-ETCS system at Shah Amanat third bridge of Chittagong. And 88 thousand 845 vehicles have crossed.
Suman Ghosh, the project manager of UDC-VAN JV, a joint company of Bangladesh and India, confirmed this information on Wednesday afternoon, April 24.
He said, this is the information from March 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024.
UDC-VAN JV Operations Director Apoorba Saha said, ‘Department of Roads and Public Ways (SOAZ) has launched the e-toll program to ease congestion and smooth traffic on road bridges.
In this, e-toll service users are getting 10 percent discount through mobile banking. That is, if somewhere there is a toll of 100 taka, then the customer has to pay 90 taka.
According to the sources of the bridge authority, as soon as the vehicle number comes to the cameras of the booths of the ETCS system, the fixed toll amount will be shown on the screen as they are connected to BRTA’s server. After that, the Shah Amanat Bridge toll is being paid using both RFID and cash methods.
Among these, only radio frequency identification or RFID system has been provided for toll collection on the move.
The vehicle registered for this system will be detected by the scanner as soon as it comes in front of the toll plaza. The barrier is then raised automatically after deducting the prescribed toll and the balance is displayed on the screen.
At the toll plaza of Setu, touch and go system has been set up in another booth but it is said to be inactive. However, the opportunity to pay the toll in this way is being created soon. And in these four booths No. 3 to 6, touch RFID and cash system are in operation.
Cashless toll is being paid if there is a balance on the vehicle registration card at these booths. For this, machines have been placed next to the booths to use the card considering the height of the vehicle.
At the same time, one can pay the toll in cash or cash at the booths. There is such a system at the toll plaza of Shah Amanat Setu. Free manual arrangement has been kept as before for motorbikes on the side. Although the toll list states that the fee is levied on motorcycles.
Meanwhile, the bridge’s traffic monitoring center is operating in the adjacent server room around the clock. Where project manager Suman Ghosh oversees everything in the toll plaza. See what is happening on CCTV. UDC-VAN JV, a joint company of Bangladesh and India, is committed to uninterrupted service.
Incidentally, the government has made the electronic toll system (ETC or e-toll) compulsory on 9 bridges and two highways of the country. With e-toll mandatory, any vehicle is crossing the toll plaza of the bridge in 5 seconds.
Souz says e-toll can be paid through ‘Nexus Pay’, ‘Rocket’ and ‘Upaya’ apps. E-toll facility will also be available through other mobile banking and e-payment systems gradually.
UDC-VAN JV Operations Director Apoorba Saha said, ‘When any vehicle registered in e-toll comes in front of the toll plaza, automatic toll will be collected by detecting the vehicle through robotic cameras. It will take 3-5 seconds.’
Bibarta/Zahed/Jaba
Tags: lakh automatic toll collection year
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