Government to plug loopholes in toll collection: Nitin Gadkari

NEW DELHI: A day after CAG blamed NHAI of unduly allowing private players to collect Rs 28,000 crore in additional toll, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari today said government will plug loopholes after studying the report.
He also said electronic toll system will be in place on 350 stations by March next year.

"We will study the (CAG) report and will plug loopholes which occurred in the previous government's regime. We have already stopped tolling at 60 stations," Gadkari told reporters after releasing e-books on highways and shipping ministries.

He said the electronic toll system would be in place on 350 stations by March next year and at present the system has already been installed at 110 stations.

"Electronic toll collection system will ensure a huge saving to Rs 86,000 crore on account of delays on toll booths besides on fuel," he said. Electronic weigh bridges are also being installed to check overloading by trucks, he added.

The CAG in its report tabled in Parliament yesterday had said that extended concession period for toll fixed by NHAI would result in the concessionaires getting additional toll to the tune of Rs 28,095.54 crore.

Gadkari also said his government is confident of achieving construction of 30 kms of roads a day in two years. Government has recently awarded Rs 40,000 crore contracts for building roads, he added.

He also said that work on Delhi-Jaipur highways is progressing after much delays it will completed by June, 2015.

Stressing the need to promote waterways, Gadkari who is also in charge of Shipping Ministry, said that his Ministry has arrived on an agreement with West Bengal Government for construction of Sagar Port at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore.

The Centre would allocate adequate funds for construction of a deep-sea port and a petroleum storage plant near the port, he said, adding the West Bengal government will have 26 per cent equity in it and a formal MoU would be signed later.

He also released two E-books on various developmental activities, fresh initiatives and major achievements of his ministries in the last six months of the Narendra Modi-led Government.

The E-books were launched here to mark 'Good Governance Day' on December 25, which is also the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.