Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that the government will do away with toll plaza booths across the country within a year.
He added that a complete GPS-based toll collection will be implemented to replace toll plazas.
Speaking in Lok Sabha, Gadkari said, “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).”
जल्द ही पूरे देश से टोल नाके हटाए जाएंगे। pic.twitter.com/rdNKOLCWlN
— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) March 18, 2021
Gadkari asserted 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. The minister said he has instructed police inquiry for those vehicles which do not pay toll using FASTags.
He further said that he has instructed police inquiry for vehicles that are still not paying toll using FASTag. He said that there are cases of toll thefts and GST evasion if FASTags are not fitted in vehicles.
From February 16 this year, the government made it mandatory for vehicles without FASTag to pay double toll at electronic toll plazas.