No more toll plazas, GPS-based toll system in one year, Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi: The toll plazas will become history in the next one year. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari clarified that this does not mean the toll has not to be paid. The union government is bringing a new GPS-based system. Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Highways and Road Transport, made an important announcement that as per the new system, the toll charges, depending on the number of kilometres the vehicle travels on the toll road, will be deducted directly from the toll-linked bank account.

Union Minister Gadkari gave information regarding the upcoming scheme in the Lok Sabha. Fastag was made compulsory at all toll plazas in the country from February. Fastag scanning, the electronic toll payment system, was brought in to reduce the rush at the toll plazas and bring transparency in toll collection. 93% of the vehicles have got Fastag installed. But still, 7% of the vehicles do not have Fastag. Double the toll amount is being collected at the toll plazas from vehicles without Fastag. Police inquiries have been ordered against the vehicles not using Fastag. Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari warned that if Fastag is not installed on a vehicle, the owner will face toll and GST theft charges.

He also said that the government is working on a new scheme for toll recovery. This system is convenient for vehicle owners. Under the new scheme, toll plazas will become history. Under the current system, the vehicle must pay the toll for the complete distance up to the next toll plaza. Gadkari said that the vehicle would be charged only for the distance it travels on the toll road under the new scheme. As per the new regulations, the new commercial vehicles come with a built-in GPS facility. Whereas the older vehicles also will be instructed to get GPS systems installed. There will be cameras at the entry point of the highway under the GPS-based toll collection system. The toll will be charged to the vehicle for the actual distance travelled on the toll highway with GPS tracking, and the toll will be deducted directly from the vehicle owner’s toll linked bank account.