CHENNAI: Even as the ruling DMK and the AIADMK have promised to remove toll plazas on the highways in their respective election manifestos for the general elections, the toll fees are set to be hiked at 42 toll plazas -- 34 maintained by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the rest by state highways operators -- across the state from April 1.
The user fee will go up by Rs 5 to Rs 30 depending on the category of vehicle, as stated in the notifications recently issued by the toll operators. This move will not only result in commuters from Chennai spending more for travelling from the city but also have a crippling effect on overall life as the prices of essential commodities such as vegetables, fruits, and other items will surge by 5% to 8%. Over 95% of the vegetables and other essential items for the state are transported by trucks on highways.
The fee hike will be enforced at 34 toll plazas maintained by the NHAI, including two plazas at Paranur and Athur on Chennai-Tiruchy NH, Surapattu and Vanagaram on (Chennai Bypass), Vaniyambadi on Krishnagiri-Walajahpet NH, and other sections. Additionally, the fee will also increase at three toll plazas on Vellore-Villupuram NH that became operational last year.
Similarly, five plazas maintained by the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC) -- four on the Minjur-Vandalur Outer Ring Road and one at Uthandi on East Coast Road -- will also undergo fare revision. Furthermore, toll fees will be hiked by Rs 5 to Rs 15 per vehicle at Vandiyur, Chinthamani, and Valayankulam plazas on the Madurai bypass operated by the Tamil Nadu Road Infrastructure Development Corporation (TNRIDC).
The TNRDC and TNRIDC are agencies of the state highways designated to build road infrastructure sourcing funds from banks through loans. However, NHAI is yet to notify increase in user fee at Nemili and Chennasamudram toll plazas on Sriperumbudur-Walajah Road NH. The user fee has not been increased at these two plazas since March 2020 due to the delay in completing the six-lane project.
Official sources from the NHAI said toll fee revision was an annual exercise as per the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. They said the fee is revised considering the wholesale price index and other factors. S Yuvraj, a Vellore-based trucker, said, “GPS-based toll fee collection will increase toll coverage among motorists, increasing their spending for highway usage. The issue can only be resolved by allowing motorists to pay the user fee at one go every year.”
Another trucker, K Rajendran, said, “Even if the fee increases only by 3% to 5%, the Fastag recharge amount will increase by Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per truck. This will result in a huge surge in our expenses, leading to an increase in the transportation charges for commodities.”
The state has 62 toll gates on the National highways, of which user fees are revised for 24 plazas on September 1 every year. The fee revision for recently opened toll plazas at Parali Pudur and Velampatti will be notified next year, said an official.