CHENNAI: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has instructed toll operators to halt the annual increase of vehicle user fees at 34 toll plazas on national highways in Tamil Nadu starting April 1st.
The fee revision, originally set to be enforced from midnight on April 1, was suspended at the last minute following a directive from the NHAI Chairman's office in New Delhi on Sunday.
Interestingly, despite huge demand from truckers, political parties, and others during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, NHAI declined to postpone the yearly fee hike, citing the absence of legal provisions to halt the fee revision as per the "concessionaire agreement".
However, with the upcoming general election, NHAI, operating under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has opted to postpone the annual revision.
The directives received by NHAI Project Directors in Villupuram, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Madurai, Karaikudi, and other units do not explain the reasons for the decision. However, officials were informed that a comprehensive order would be issued within one or two days.
An NHAI official informed TNIE, "We have been informed that technical upgrades are being made to the FASTag payment system, which is why the fee revision has not been implemented yet. However, we are still awaiting a detailed directive."
The fee revision was put on hold for all highways including those developed using government funds and others built under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. For instance, the Paranur and Athur toll plazas on the Chenani-Tindivanam NH have been fully funded by the government.
Tamil Nadu has 62 toll plazas on highways maintained by NHAI, of which fees are hiked for 36 toll plazas on April 1st every year and for the rest on September 1st. The fees at Nemili and Chennasamudram toll plazas on the Sriperumbudur-Walajahroad NH have remained unchanged since April 2020 due to delays in widening them to six lanes.
In addition to the truckers association, both the DMK and AIADMK have made the toll fee increase an electoral issue and pledged to remove toll plazas on highways in their respective election manifestos.
