NEW DELHI: As the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) steps up the rollout of barrier-free toll collection on national highways, enforcement remains a challenge. Since vehicles no longer stop at toll plazas, authorities are considering stricter compliance measures for those who evade payment in the absence of physical barriers.
According to sources, a series of stringent measures to ensure compliance under the new system are being deliberated upon. These include charging defaulters double the toll amount and linking unpaid dues to essential vehicle-related services such as permit renewals and the issuance of Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC).
“Compliance is an issue. How will we recover toll charges from vehicles that pass through tolling points without payment? Some changes have been made to the rules, but we still need to determine how to deal with defaulters. How many such cases may arise? Disputes could lead to court cases. How will we recover penalties? All these aspects are being examined,” sources said.
In a major step towards transforming the Electronic Toll Collection system in the country, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recently launched the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF)-based tolling system at the Choryasi Toll Plaza on the Surat–Bharuch section of NH-48 in Gujarat. Around 41,500 vehicles crossed the toll point on the first day of implementation.
The MLFF-based tolling system is likely to be introduced at the Gharaunda toll plaza on the Delhi–Chandigarh highway from May 11, following which the NHAI plans to introduce barrier-free arrangements at around 120 locations across its highway network.
Officials said defaulters would be blacklisted and required to pay double the toll charges until all pending dues are cleared.
“Services such as renewal of permits, fitness certification, driving licence and insurance, transfer of ownership, and issuance of pollution certificates will be restricted for vehicles with pending dues,” officials said.
Under the barrier-free model, vehicles passing through tolling points without stopping are charged automatically using FASTag and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology.
For a seamless experience, the NHAI has urged users to maintain sufficient balance in their FASTag accounts. Under the existing provisions, in cases of insufficient balance or invalid or non-functional FASTags, users are issued an electronic notice (e-notice) for non-payment and are required to pay the normal user fee within 72 hours.
In case of non-compliance even after the 72-hour deadline, the user fee is charged at twice the normal rate applicable to the vehicle category. E-notices can be accessed and paid through the designated Parivahan portal. Users may also raise grievances within 72 hours of the issuance of the e-notice.
