New Delhi: The new highways may not have toll plazas near cities and industrial towns.
The Union road transport and highways (MoRTH) minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that the government would avoid building toll collection plazas on the national highways within a periphery of 6-7 km from the cities and industrial townships. The government is mulling this proposal keeping in mind the problems being faced by local and working population in shutting between the home and office through toll plazas.
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Replying to a query regarding toll collection in Vishakhapatnam, Gadkari said he was aware of the problems being faced by local residents in certain stretches of the national highways.
“During the UPA govt, they allowed setting up toll plazas close to urban areas and later the task of toll collection was given to private plates. If we terminate them now, they will raise claims and we have to pay the compensation. Because of this people who go to work for just a few kilometres need to pay toll. This is not right. We are ensuring that toll plazas don’t come up not within 6-7km,” said Gadkari.
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NHAI’s daily toll collection more than ₹200-Cr
A senior officer of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said that the agency was realising more than ₹200-crore daily through FASTag. “NHAI records around 1.25 crore transaction on a single day.
The payment of toll through FASTag has been growing up considerably since the government mandated it in February 2021. The FASTag system has increased from 770 to 1,228 toll plazas, including 339 state toll plazas, with a penetration rate of around 97% and over 6.9 crore FASTags issued to users.
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With the system’s effectiveness, highway users have experienced reduced waiting times at NH Fee Plazas, resulting in a more efficient toll operation. The new system has also ensured seamless and secure contactless payment for parking fees at over 140 parking lots in 50+ cities across India.
