Uniform toll policy soon? Nitin Gadkari reveals govt plan amid discontent over high charges

The government is working on a uniform toll policy to streamline charges and resolve the problems faced by commuters on national highways, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Monday.

In an interview with PTI, Gadkari said, “We are working on a uniform toll policy. It will address the problem faced by commuters.” However, he did not provide further details.

Gadkari was responding to a question on the increasing discontent among highway users over rising toll charges and complaints about road conditions.

According to official data, total toll collection in India surged to ₹64,809.86 crore in 2023-24, a 35% increase from the previous year. In 2019-20, toll collection stood at ₹27,503 crore.

Over the last decade, the number of tolled stretches has increased, leading to growing user dissatisfaction.

Toll plazas on National Highways are established in accordance with the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, and relevant concession agreements.

As part of efforts to modernise the tolling system, the government plans to initially implement a barrier-less Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based toll collection mechanism.

Gadkari asserted that India’s highway infrastructure now matches that of the United States.

He expressed confidence that the ministry will surpass its previous record of constructing 37 km of highways per day, achieved in the 2020-21 financial year. So far, around 7,000 km of highways have been built in the current fiscal year, with construction activity typically accelerating in the February-March period.

The pace of highway construction had reached a record 37 km per day in 2020-21, when 13,435.4 km of highways were built. In subsequent years, the ministry constructed 10,457.2 km (2021-22), 10,331 km (2022-23), and 12,349 km (2023-24).

According to Gadkari, under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, the ministry had the power to award highway projects of up to Rs 3,000 crore, now the ministry cannot approve any fresh projects under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.

"For any project worth above Rs 1,000 crore, now we need to take the approval of the Cabinet. So, we have sent projects worth Rs 50,000-Rs 60,000 crore to the Cabinet for approval," he said.

"Once we get clearance, we will start working on those projects," the minister added.