New Toll Charges On National Highways: In a significant relief for motorists, the government has slashed toll rates by up to 50% on select sections of National Highways featuring costly infrastructure such as tunnels, bridges, flyovers, and elevated roads.
The move aims to reduce travel expenses and make road journeys more affordable for commuters. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has revised the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008, and introduced a new formula for toll calculation. Under the updated rule, toll charges will now be calculated in a way that substantially reduces the fee on highway stretches primarily comprising such high-cost structures.
Toll Rates Calculation
According to the notification, if a section of the National Highway includes structures like flyovers or tunnels, the toll will be calculated based on the lower of two values: Ten times the total length of the structures and Five times the total length of the highway section.
To explain this with an example, the ministry stated that if a 40-kilometre highway stretch is entirely made up of structures such as bridges or flyovers, the toll will be calculated using the lower of these two options — either 10 times the structure length (400 km) or 5 times the total length (200 km). In this case, toll will be charged based on 200 km, effectively reducing the rate by half.
Earlier, commuters had to pay ten times the regular toll rate for every kilometre of such structures, given the higher costs involved in their construction and maintenance.
New FASTag-Based Annual Pass
In another step toward hassle-free highway travel, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari last month announced a new FASTag-based annual pass for private vehicles. Priced at Rs 3,000, the pass will be available starting August 15 this year.
Designed specifically for non-commercial private vehicles such as cars, jeeps, and vans, the annual pass will remain valid for one year from the date of activation or up to 200 trips, whichever comes first. (With IANS Inputs)
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