The amount of toll collection on national highways across India has nearly doubled in the last financial year when compared to 2018-19, official data analysed by News18 shows. As per the details from the ministry of road transport and highways, in 2022-23 the collection at fee plazas on national highways was Rs 48,028.22 crore, up from Rs 25,419.82 crore in 2018-19.
In terms of average per day collection, this amount has jumped from Rs 69.64 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 131.58 crore in 2022-23.
As per the ministry, the performance at toll plazas on national highways has generally improved after the implementation of FASTag. The time taken has also improved. The average waiting time at a fee plaza was found to have reduced from 734 seconds to 47 seconds as per the sample study conducted by the National Highways Authority of India through a consultant.
The improvement in toll collection is largely attributed to a constant check on revenue leakage and work towards a Digital India and the use of FASTag.
Speaking to News18, a ministry official said that over the last few years, MoRTH has taken a number of steps to increase electronic toll collection.
“The impact of these steps is clearly visible on the toll collected which has increased constantly in the last few years,” the official said, demanding anonymity.
The major steps taken by the ministry included declaring all lanes of toll plazas on national highways as FASTag lanes from midnight of February 15 and 16, 2021.
This was done to achieve 100 per cent electronic fee collection. The rule also mandated that any vehicle not fitted with FASTag or without valid, functional FASTag entering into the dedicated lane will have to pay double the amount applicable to that category at the toll.
When compared to the year 2020-21, which also saw a nationwide lockdown for several weeks due to the spread of the coronavirus infection, the toll collection in the next year saw a significant jump – from Rs 27,923.80 crore to Rs 33,907.72 crore.
The official explained that the introduction of FASTag has transformed travel with reduced waiting time and minimised queues at fee plazas. “It has also reduced fuel consumption and provides for a seamless passage through the fee plazas.”
According to the ministry, the deployment of electronic toll collection (ETC) through FASTag at various fee plazas along national highways has brought transparency and enabled the correct valuation of road assets, which has encouraged more investors to invest in the highway infrastructure of the country, particularly, in asset recycling.
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