Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that Indian highways would be free from traditional tollbooths within the next two years.
Addressing the ASSOCHAM Foundation Week program in Delhi, Minister Gadkari said that the Indian Government had finalized a GPS-based (Global Positioning System) toll collection system.
The new toll collection system, to be implemented in collaboration with the Russian Government, will promote seamless movement of vehicles across the country. The toll amount will be directly deducted from the bank account based on the vehicle movement, thereby reducing congestion at the booths and making long commuting seamless.
“We have thoroughly examined and finalized the GPS-based toll collection system with the help of the Russian Government. And within two years, India would be toll booth-free. The GPS will be used to track the vehicles, and the due amount would be deducted from the respective bank accounts,” said Minister Gadkari.
He added that the government will outline plans to install GPS systems in older vehicles while all the present-day passenger and commercial vehicles are featuring GPS technology.
The Indian Government has already made FASTag mandatory in all vehicles, and violators will have to pay double the toll amount. However, Minister Gadkari did not say what will happen to the existing FASTag system with the introduction of the GPS-based system.
According to the Minister, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) would garner a revenue of INR 1.34 trillion within five years after implementing GPS tollbooths. He also informed that the toll revenue is expected to reach INR 34,000 crore by March 2021.
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