'Government collected US$ 17.05 billion (Rs. 1,44,000 crore) toll at highway plazas under Public Private Partnerships (PPP) since 2000'

The government has collected US$ 17.05 billion (Rs. 1,44,000 crore) in toll tax from fee plazas operating under the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) model on National Highways since December 2000, the Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday. In response to a question, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Mr. Nitin Gadkari, explained that these user fee plazas are set up under the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, and the respective Concession Agreements. The toll collection has been implemented across various fee plazas on National Highways under the PPP model, contributing significant revenue since the system's introduction.

In a separate reply, he stated that the government is moving towards barrier-free tolling by integrating available technologies, including the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system and FASTag. However, he clarified that the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based tolling system is not yet operational on National Highways. To facilitate its future use, an amendment to the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008 (dated September 9, 2024) has been made, allowing the implementation of GNSS-based tolling via On-Board Units (OBU). Once operational, vehicles without a valid GNSS OBU will incur a toll fee twice the applicable user fee for that category. The GNSS system will enable toll charges based on the distance travelled on National Highways or expressways, replacing the current method of toll collection based on the length of the respective fee plaza.

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