CHENNAI: Vehicle users in Tamil Nadu must brace themselves for paying higher fee at toll plazas on state and national highways, as the revised toll charge will take effect from April 1 at 46 tollgates across the state. Consequently, prices of essential goods may also shoot up.
Among the 46 toll plazas, eight are on state highways, while the rest on national highways.
However, fee at the Nemili and Chennasamudram tollgates will stay unchanged for the sixth year in a row due to delays in the works of the six-lane widening project between Sriperumbudur and Walajahpet. The last revision at these toll plazas was on April 1, 2019.
The fee revision will come into effect on toll plazas located at Surapattu and Vanagaram (Chennai bypass), Nallur (Chennai-Tada NH), Pattaraiperumbudur (Chennai-Tirupati NH), and Paranur (Tambaram-Chengalpattu section). Consequently, travellers between Chennai and destinations like Bengaluru, Tiruchy, Kolkata, and Tirupati, along with commuters on Coimbatore-Salem and Vellore-Dharmapuri stretches, will have to bear higher toll costs.
According to official parliamentary data, Tamil Nadu collected Rs 15,414 crore in toll fees on national highways from April 2019 to March last year. The state has 72 NH toll plazas, of which fee at 25 tollgates are revised on September 1 every year and the rest on April 1.
The fee at five NH toll plazas, which were opened in the last 6 to 8 months, will be revised on April 1 next year. The fee will also be revised on three state highways – Chennai Outer Ring Road (4), East Coast Road (1) and Madurai Ring Road (3).
The increase will range from 2.5% to 2.7% of the base toll rate, depending on the wholesale price index and other factors. Cars will see a hike of Rs 5, while buses and other vehicles may face an increase of Rs 15 to Rs 30, depending on their category, as per a notification by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
S Yuvraj, president of the Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owners Federation (TNSSLF), stated, “Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced a Rs 3,000 monthly pass for private vehicles. A similar yearly payment system for trucks should be introduced.”