No toll plazas on national highways: What is Centre’s new plan? How will it work?

The Indian government is planning to remove toll plazas from national highways across the country and instead use cameras to deduct fare.The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is proceeding with a plan to replace toll plazas with Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR) cameras which can read number plates, as per Indian Express.A pilot programme is already underway and laws are being made to penalise vehicle owners who skip toll plazas.Let’s take a closer look at why this is happening and what you need to know about it:Why is this happening?In simple terms?Congestion.Despite 5.56 crore FASTags being issued and 96.6 per cent of tolling happening through the technology, congestion at toll plazas on national highways continues to be a problem.Union minister Nitin Gadkari earlier in August told the Rajya Sabha toll plazas have created many problems such as traffic snarls and long queues, which the government wants to end.He was responding to questions from members on the issue of toll plazas within 60 km in the same direction which is not as per law.So, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has hit upon a new solution – ANPR cameras.How will it work?As per Indian Express, cameras will be placed at entry and exit of toll roads. These cameras will scan number plates and automatically deduct toll from the bank accounts of vehicle owners.However, only those number plates that have been made after 2019 will be picked up by cameras.[caption id="attachment_11050291" align="alignnone" width="640"] Representational image. PTI[/caption]The government, in 2019, had ordered passenger vehicles to have company-fitted number plates, and only these number plates can be read by cameras, as per the report“In 2019, we made a rule that cars will come with company-fitted number plates. So, the vehicles that have come in the last four years have different number plates. Now, the plan is to remove toll plazas and put cameras, which will read these number plates and toll will be deducted from the account directly. We are also doing a pilot of this scheme. However, there is one problem — there is no provision under the law to penalise the vehicle owner who skips the toll plaza and does not pay. We need to bring that provision under the law. We may bring in a provision for cars which do not have these number plates to get them installed within a certain period of time. We will need to bring in a Bill for this,” Gadkari told Indian Express.How will this benefit vehicle owners?Gadkari told Live Hindustan vehicles would not be stopped thus saving both on time taken on trips and cutting pollution.Gadkari added that at present, people have to pay full charges even at toll plazas that are located 60 kilometres (km) away from each other.“Now if you use the highway for only 30 km, then with the help of new technology you will be charged only half the price,” the Union road transport and highways minister also said.When will the system be introduced?

Gadkari told the Upper House the new system will be introduced in the next six months.

The government, he said, is now searching for two options – satellite based toll system where the GPS will be there in a car and the toll will be directly subtracted from the passenger’s bank account and the other option is through number plates.“We are in the process of introducing GPS instead of FASTag while using satellite and on the basis of which we want to take the toll. Technology is also available on number plate and there is good technology available in India,” he said.“We will select the technology. Though we have not taken an official decision, but in my view on the number plate technology there will be no toll plaza and there will be a sophisticated computerised digital system by which we can give relief. There will be no queues and people will get great relief,” the minister also said.But for that, he said, we need to bring a bill in Parliament because if anyone is not paying the toll then there is no law available yet to penalise them.Gadkari said they are in the process of selecting the best technology for collection of toll, and will also bring an important legislation in Parliament.“Within six months, I will try my level best to do it as this is the need of the hour. This is important for the people of the country and to rid the problem of traffic,” he said when asked when the new system for toll collection will be brought into effect.Gadkari said number plates with new technology have been introduced and it is mandatory for the manufacturer to have new number plates and there will be a computerised system by which one can collect toll using new software.He said that one will have to pay toll for the exact time of car driven on the tolled highways and only that much toll will be subtracted from the account.“We have not made up our mind as far as selection of technology is concerned. But as early as possible and within a month we will select the technology and we will use all the sophisticated technology of the world by which it will be useful for people and there will be no queues and no problems of traffic,” he told the House.“As early as possible we will resolve the issue of toll plazas and find a solution to this,” he said.Gadkari also said that after the introduction of FASTag which is one of the remarkable contributions to the country, toll revenues have risen substantially to Rs 120 crore in a single day.Till date, 5.56 crore FASTags have been issued and its penetration is 96.6 percent, he said.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.