NHAI seeks applications for country’s first bank-led toll collection

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) In a bid to remove physical toll plazas across the country in the near future, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has sought applications from banks for the country’s first multi-lane free flow (MLFF) toll collection on Dwarka Expressway.

If this plan is successful, the only toll plaza on the 28-km Dwarka Expressway will end and the bank will deduct money based on your vehicle data, as per reports.

Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has reiterated that toll plazas will be removed from roads in the coming years. For Dwarka Expressway NHAI will rope in a bank to collect user fee on a highway stretch.

The tolling system will have field equipment and sensors that will capture information from passing vehicles. The data will be transmitted to the electronic toll payment system for the deduction of user fee, said reports.

The new system will collect information from the vehicle database and send it to the bank. The bank will deduct money from the FastTag wallet. If a driver does not pay the toll, it will continue to show on the vehicle portal and app.

NHAI is preparing to install multi-lane free flow system on many more expressways.

Meanwhile, the government will track around 100 toll plazas with GIS-based software for seamless movement of traffic at national highways. The live monitoring and tracking system at the toll plazas will help to ensure free flow of traffic and a hassle-free tolling experience for the national highway users at the fee plazas across the country.

These toll plazas have been identified based on congestion feedback received through 1033 National Highway helpline, according to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The GIS-based software has been developed by the Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), a company promoted by NHAI.

The toll fee collection on national highways under the NHAI reached Rs 54,811.13 crore in the fiscal 2023-24. The ministry spent Rs 6,523 crore towards maintenance of national highways during the last year.

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