Nitin Gadkari has been working with the government regarding the new toll policy for a long time now, and the implementation is planned within the next 15 days
The new toll policy will result in the removal of the need for physical toll booths altogether. Note that the existing FASTag technology has been active since 2014 on the Golden Quadrilateral between Ahmedabad and Mumbai and became mandatory across the country in 2019. It reduced the time needed to stop at the toll plaza by electronically controlling the process. However, we still had some issues at some toll plazas. Finally, the new policy aims to eliminate the need to stop at a toll plaza at all.
New Toll Policy
Speaking at an event on Monday, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, announced, “The central government will soon introduce a new toll policy. I will not speak much about it now, but within the next 15 days, a new policy will be announced. Once implemented, there will be no reason for anyone to complain about tolls.” Furthermore, he clarified that the toll amount will automatically be deducted from the bank accounts of the car owners using satellite tracking and vehicle number plate recognition. This will ensure that people won’t have to wait at all and they only pay for the exact distance they travel.
While the details pertaining to the specifics of this case are limited, it was said in a few previous online reports that the government is planning to offer a toll pass with a one-time fee of Rs 3,000 for 1 year. Apart from that, there will also be the option of paying Rs 30,000 up front for a lifetime pass for new car buyers. It will be valid for a period of 15 years. With these passes, the car owners will be able to gain unlimited access to toll roads without having to pay up every time. Evidently, these measures will greatly enhance the convenience of road users while offering savings at the same time.
My View
Nitin Gadkari has always been a proactive leader when it comes to the Department of Road Transport and Highways. He has tried to offer world-class facilities to Indians. This includes developing infrastructure, creating high-quality highways, connecting prominent hubs in the country via expressways, promoting eco-friendly vehicles and devising policies to reduce vehicular pollution and carbon footprint. Let us wait for another couple of weeks to know the exact details of this new toll policy.
Also Read: Truck Driven for 80 km with Toll Worker Hanging on Windscreen
