Boom barrier hits doctor's car bearing smart card; toll plaza officials say system had developed a snag

Being smart can take a toll on you

Boom barrier hits doctor's car bearing smart card; toll plaza officials say system had developed a snag

Doctor Sandeep Batra is a smart commuter. He does not like to waste time at the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway toll plaza.

However, apart from loads of time, the medical practitioner at the posh medicity hospital had to lose a

windscreen owing to a technical snag at the toll gate.

"I am a smart tag user since August 2009. On January 17, I was travelling in my Maruti Ritz Car and passing through booth no. 24 of the toll plaza, which was marked for tag users. A Tata Sumo car, which was in front of me, stopped at the toll for a cash transaction. I maintained a safe distance and when the signal turned green and the barrier went up I proceeded ahead. But, suddenly the boom barrier boom came crashing into the windscreen of my car," said Dr Batra, recalling the incident.

The toll attendants checked the tag on Dr Batra's car and told him that probably the validity of the card has expired, leading to the accident. However, when Dr Batra told them that on the last visit he had seen 25 visits remaining in his account.

Finally, the toll officials removed the tag checked its balance which was found to be zero by the tag reader. Considering above they verified that tag was not read by the system properly and it was clearly a case of system failure.

The officials lodged Dr Batra's complaint asked him to come next day. He was assured that as it was a system error, they would get the windscreen replaced.
On his way back home, Dr Batra checked his tag again at the toll booth. To his surprise the light turned green showed validity for 24 visits.

Dr Batra alleged that when he returned the next day, the toll officials blatantly refused to restore the windscreen and claimed that it all happened due to his "negligence."

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