Mumbai, Nov 8 (PTI) In a bid to ease toll collection onnational highways and reduce the waiting period for vehicles,the government will bring Electronic Toll Collection (ETC)mechanism at all toll plazas starting December, Union RoadTransport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said here today.
"All the vehicles coming on the road after December 1will have a FASTag to ease cashless toll collection onnational highways across the country. The total of 7.5 lakhvehicles already have the FASTag. The number would grow to 25lakh vehicles by March 2018. The total 3,500 lanes on nationalhighways would be made FASTag ready in the coming two months,"the minister said.
Gadkari said the revenue generation through FASTagsystem is pegged at Rs 10 crore at present.
"I have asked all the state governments to adopt thenew technology and system of my ministry for easy vehicularmovement. The cameras deployed at toll plazas will scan thevehicle and deduct the amount for the distance travelled fromthe vehicle owner's bank account. Unlike the existing systemof charging a flat amount for all the vehicles," Gadkariexplained.
He said the new system will end long queues at tollplazas.
The minister also claimed that the GST has benefittedthe logistics industry a lot.
"Crossing check posts at every state border used to bea major time consuming task. The transporting company had topay some cess as well. With implementation of GST, some 22different cess have been abolished," he said, adding that thelogistic cost has been reduced by 15-20 per cent.
The logistic cost is on an average 18 per cent in thecountry whereas in China it is 8 per cent.
"We want to bring it at 12 per cent so India cancompete at the international level," Gadkari said.
"The ministry is planning a huge container yard nearVasai on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway. The containers wouldthen be carried to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) on hugeferry boats through the sea around Mumbai instead of theroads," the minister said.
He said the government has asked for a land at Vasaito develop a parking area.
"The trucks coming from Gujarat to Mumbai will beparked there and transported by a vessel to Mumbai port. Itwill avoid the road route and bring down the congestion," theminister said. PTI NDNSK.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.