Always, an extended arm. Often, a tinkle of coins. Sometimes, a glimpse of a face. Almost always, a voice that asks a question or makes a clarification. On rare occasions, the voice deals with an argument. All of these happen in slightly more than a flash. So, what really goes on behind these almost-impersonal elements of a toll collector’s (TC) fleeting engagement with a motorist?
When I enter a TC's booth at the Uthandi toll plaza on East Coast Road, on a Sunday, the sense of impersonality only deepens for me. At the counter, the TC is entirely taken over by mechanical processes that seem well-thought-out, refined and pared down to a few jabs on the keyboard and flicks of the wrist, to ensure speed of service.
Impersonality is clearly the defining feature of a TC’s job, and therefore I am not going to reveal the identity of the one I interacted with. Let me restrict myself to providing an account of processes in which he loses his identity.
Before that, let me tell you I pass the toll plaza near the Sholinganallur SEZ regularly and I exchange smiles with some of the TCs there, but all of them remain nameless to me. In a TC's work day, people come and go and they have to go fast, which rules out pleasantries. Well, isn’t that ironical? Every day, a whopping number of people cross a TC's path, but he'll remain an unknown entity?
Customised keyboard
At Uthandi, the first thing that catches my eye are the buttons on the keyboard. There are additional buttons that simplify and expedite the process of collecting toll and giving receipts.
Here are some of those buttons, each with its unique identifier - “Class 3 Car/Jeep/ Van”, “Class 4 LCV”, “Class 5 Bus”, “Class 6 Truck”, “Payment Type”, “Single”, “Return”, “Single Local”, “Receipt”, “Revoke” and “Exempt”.
As these are sufficiently self-explanatory, I am not going into what these buttons signify. The point is: the process is built to ensure speed. And, it follows that the TC is swept along on its swift wings. As the toll plaza never sleeps, TCs work in three shifts. The TC has his food in his seat. When a short break becomes absolutely necessary, the supervisor in-charge of the toll booths makes a stop-gap arrangement. I chose to visit the Uthandi toll plaza on a Sunday, as that's when this facility is at its busiest. Though I don't see long lines of vehicles typical of Sundays, vehicles come without a break, keeping the TC occupied continuously.
Emergency button
I am told the speed takes a toll on the TCs, mostly their shoulders. At the Uthandi toll plaza, the booths are spaced apart more generously. As a result, some motorists end up parking their vehicle outside the reach of the TC's extended arm. In such a situation, the TC lunges forward to collect the toll. When this doesn't help, he presses a button, sending out a loud beep. This brings the security guard, who then assists in the process. The beep sound is also activated when the TC finds himself in the midst of an argument with a motorist and he needs help.
The sound is loud enough and carries to the room of the assistant manager/supervisor of the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC). In this room, images from CCTV cameras around the toll plaza are also relayed, round-the-clock.
The TC and his immediate supervisor tell me that situations leading to arguments include motorists considering themselves exempt from paying toll as they are associated with the government in some form, but in reality don't belong to any of the categories for exemption.
Fortunately, others step in to untangle the knot for the TC.
The TCs and their immediate supervisor are part of a private agency that has been signed up for the job by TNRDC. There are also staff who are on the payrolls of the TNRDC. They share the goal of sending motorists past the plaza as quickly as possible.