‘India to be Toll Plaza free in a year,’ Nitin Gadkari announces as Toll booths to be replaced by GPS toll collection

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, once again leading from the front and showing exemplary work rate on Thursday informed the public during the question hour in Lok Sabha that the government will do away with toll plaza booths across the country within a year.

“I want to assure the House that within one year all physical toll booths in the country will be removed. It means that toll collection will happen via GPS. The money will be collected based on GPS imaging (on vehicles),” Nitin Gadkari said in the Lok Sabha.

For this, all the highways would be equipped with CCTV cameras and the government is also planning to install GPS technology in old vehicles to make the experience as seamless as possible. Removal of toll plazas would avoid waiting for long stretch of time which lead to delay in reaching the destinations for commuters.

“While now all commercial vehicles are coming with vehicle tracking systems, the government will come up with some plan to install GPS technology in old vehicles,” said the Minister.

Nitin Gadkari simultaneously asserted that 93 per cent of the vehicles pay toll using FASTag, while the remaining 7 per cent have still not taken it despite paying a double toll. As reported by TFI, on February 16, 2021, the Centre had announced that motorists not using FASTag have to pay double the toll tax.

Read more: Toll plazas on their way to becoming obsolete

The minister said he has instructed a police inquiry for those vehicles which do not pay toll using FASTags. There are cases of toll theft and GST evasion cases if FASTags are not fitted in vehicles.

Under Nitin Gadkari, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is touching new milestones almost regularly. Recently, Gadkari said that India had been able to construct 11,035 km of national highways since April — translating into a record 32.8 km a day of construction. Moreover, this number could touch 40 km a day by the end of this financial year, he further added.

Adding another feather to Nitin Gadkari’s illustrious cap — the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recently completed the development of a 25.54 km single-lane stretch of road in just 18 hours, creating a world record. Nitin Gadkari confirmed that the record will soon enter the Limca Book of Records and that 500 workers had put in their efforts for the achievement.

It is imperative to note that when Nitin Gadkari took charge of the ministry, the highway building pace was just 2 km a day. The revival of sorts has been since then has been solely made possible due to Gadkari’s incessant and untiring attempts to get the road making business online.

The decision to do away with the Toll plazas could be revolutionary as it would help in cutting the carbon footprint as well as save the precious time of the public. And given the impressive track record of Nitin Gadkari, expect him to own up his words and deliver on the promise within a year.