India, Nov. 14 -- A large number of motorists have been avoiding the Dwarka expressway after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began toll collection at the Bijwasan plaza on November 9, the highway operator said on Thursday.

A highway toll official said the average number of vehicles using the expressway daily had dropped from 120,000. to merely 40,000 to 50,000 - a staggering fall of nearly 60%. The average number of commercial trucks on the expressway had also gone down from 15,000 to about 2,000 - primarily to avoid paying toll at the Bijwasan plaza.

The NHAI had on November 9 started toll collection at the Bijwasan plaza and notified the toll charges, according to which car users will pay Rs.220 for a one-way trip thro...