Toll Plaza

The Central Government is planning to remove all the toll plazas from the National Highways. The Steps are being taken in order to reduce traffic congestion on the highways. In addition, the Central Government will install high-quality cameras on entry-exit points of plazas, to read number plates, reducing human intervention. The camera will read number plates, helping reduction of taxes, directly from the owner's bank accounts.

The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari addressed the Parliament and said, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) incurred a loss of Rs 2,731 crore. He further stated that due to the agitation of farmers against the "Three Farm Laws" in 2020, at least 65 toll plazas were not operational. Reportedly, regions of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, contributed majorly to the losses. 

The deadline to collect toll charges through FASTag has been extended till February 15 by the Union Transport Ministry. Earlier, the government had set the deadline for January 1. Moreover, to encourage the use of FASTag, dedicated 'FASTag Lanes' have been made at all toll plazas. Besides, vehicles without 'FASTag' will need to pay double the toll fee. Reportedly, about 20-25% people are still paying toll charges in form of cash.