Toll collections scrapped at 62 plazas in 15 states: Nitin Gadkari

NEW DELHI: The government today announced scrapping of 62 toll plazas in 15 states, a move aimed at providing a hassle-free travel for the general public.

The move comes close on the heels of Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari's announcement last month to cancel around 125 toll plazas across the country.

These toll plazas have been removed from some important stretches in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karantaka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as per a notification issued by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry today.

The maximum number of toll plazas where levy collection has been stopped fall in Uttar Pradesh where 18 plazas have been made free of toll, as per the list of such collection booths notified by the Ministry.

As per the notification, levy collection has been stopped at six toll plazas in Rajasthan, four each in Bihar, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Mahrashtra and Manipur as well as three each in Gujarat and Odisha.

The notification further said two toll plazas each fall in Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand where levy collection has been stopped besides one toll plaza each in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

"We will cancel toll at around 125 plazas on some highways by the end of this month," Gadkari had said last month.

Government has also decided to make road projects toll free where less than Rs 50 crore investment has been made.

The Minister has also said that electronic toll (e-toll) collection system is being installed Pan-India, a step that will help save Rs 88,000 crore and cut waiting time at toll plazas significantly.

He has quoted a Transport Corporation of India-IIM Kolkata study which said that Rs 60,000 crore was lost on account of various delays at check posts and electronic toll collection could save Rs 88,000 crore.

Gadkari has said that out of the 350 toll points on the Mumbai-Delhi route, 140 have been converted into E-toll points.

For implementing ETC (electronic toll collection) system across the country, a new company -- Indian Highways Management Company Limited -- has been constituted.

It has equity participation from NHAI (25 per cent), concessionaires (50 per cent) and financial institutions (25 per cent).

Its objectives include collection of toll through ETC System and to manage project strategically, administratively, legally, technically and commercially.

It will also provide services of central ETC system, which includes toll transaction clearing house operations, help desk support and setting up of call centres for incident management.