Latest news with #DeterminationofRatesandCollection)Rules
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
New Toll Policy: India to Introduce Per Km Tolling System for Highways, ET Infra
Advt Advt By , ETInfra NEW DELHI: Under a new toll policy which is currently being formulated, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is mulling over a framework wherein users of India's highways and expressways can pay charges based on per km basis rather than existing norm of paying a predetermined toll toll fee is paid on a fixed amount based on the length of stretch under one road project which is normally 60 km, as per the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008.'Under the new toll policy , the government is exploring ways to enable users to pay toll based on per km of usage of highways and expressways. In the existing system, users pay a fixed toll irrespective of whether they use the highway stretch for a few km or for the entire length,' a senior government official, aware of the development, told ET Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had reportedly stated that under the new system, the requirement of physical toll plaza for collection may not be country in the last few years has seen the deployment of FASTag, a device that employs Radio Frequency Identification or RFID technology for making cashless toll payments without having to stop at toll booths. The government is now in the process of rolling out an enhanced toll system which will be based on Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, in order to facilitate the implementation of the new toll policy.'The idea is to ensure that there is no pilferage and revenue loss to the government,' said the official, adding that the new system may incorporate satellite tracking technology as well. The Minister for Road Transport and Highways had reportedly stated that under the new system the requirement of physical toll plaza for collection may not be to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the ANPR-FASTag-based Barrier-Less Tolling System will be implemented at selected toll plazas. The system will enable vehicles to be charged based on their identification through high performance ANPR cameras and FASTag Readers, without needing to stop at the toll plazas. In case of non-compliance, e-notices will be served to the violators, non-payment of which may result in suspension of FASTag and other related penalties.'This can be considered as a proactive initiative adopted by the government to adopt a barrier-less tolling will result in seamless toll collection, reduce travel time, eliminate stoppage time at toll plazas, especially during peak traffic hours,' said Jagannarayan Padmanabhan , Senior Director & Global Head, Crisil private companies or entities engaged in the construction and maintenance of highways and expressways are allowed to collect tolls and recover their investment under a concession official highlighted that under the new toll policy, it is being mulled that revenue be shared with the concessionaire through a centralised pool.'As the toll collection will become automatic without any intervention at the toll plazas, it is being contemplated that the revenue will be shared with the various concessionaires through a centralised pool by the central government, so that there is no revenue loss to them even if the user is being charged on a per km basis and not a fixed standard rate,' the official official highlighted that under the existing system there are instances wherein the private operator does under-reporting of revenue generated via toll and the new system is aimed at stopping such highlighted that if the new policy transfers the risk of default payments to the concessionaires, then they must bear the risk.'There will be no significant adverse impact on the existing concession agreements on toll collections as the technology will promote barrier free tolling systems, which will result in smooth traffic flow and enhanced revenues. However, if the policy transfers the risk of default payments to the concessionaires, they must bear the risk of delayed payments until the default is cured,' said to a statement from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the National Highways Authority of India has invited bids for the implementation of 'ANPR-FASTag-based Barrier-Less Tolling System' for installation at select toll plazas and based on the performance, efficiency, and user response to this system, a decision will be made regarding its implementation across the country.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Hindu
Make appropriate changes in MV Act to avoid mismatch of vehicles during toll collection: Karnataka HC advises MoRTH
The High Court of Karnataka has advised the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to review the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and make appropriate changes to address the issue of mismatch of vehicle type that crops up during collection of toll due to variance in vehicular classifications, particularly buses, under the MV Act, and the rules framed under the National Highways Act, 1956. Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order while dismissing a petition filed by Karavali Bus Owners' Association, Udupi, and several individual owners of private buses. The petitioners had questioned deduction of extra toll amount later in addition to the amount deducted from FASTag account instantly when their buses pass through two plazas between Mangaluru and Kundapur due to mismatch in vehicle type. The Court noted that the variance in classification of vehicles in the MV Act and the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 framed under the NH Act is the cause for this litigation and hence the MV Act requires statutory refinement. Background of case The petitioners had registered information of their vehicles in FASTag system as 'minibus' even though the registration certificate of the vehicles issued by the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) classified their vehicles as 'bus' with seating capacity of 38. The argument of the petitioner was that the provision of the MV Act states that vehicles with unladen weight of less than 12,000 kgs are classified as Light Motor Commercial Vehicles (LMCVs), which include 'minibus'. However, toll collecting authorities were collecting extra amount, which applicable for 'bus/truck' later as FASTag was deducting lower toll applicable to LMCVs at toll plazas. The toll collecting had relied on the RTO data of the vehicles belonging to the petitioners as the norms framed under the fee collection rules of 2008 describes a light motor commercial passenger vehicle with seating capacity up to 32 as a 'minibus' and as 'bus/truck' if the seating capacity is more than 32 and/or unladen weight of the vehicle is above 12,000 kg. The court pointed out that MV Act describes a vehicle with unladen weight up to 7,500 kg as a light motor vehicle and beyond 12,000 kg as a heavy passenger motor vehicle but there is 'vacuum' in the Act with respect to classification of vehicles between 7,500 kg and 12,000 kg. Registering as minibus The bus owners were registering their vehicle under the category of 'minibus' in FASTag by taking advantage of the MV Act as many of their buses were under 12,000 kg even though the seating capacity exceeded 32, the court noted while pointing out that base rate of toll for LMVCs/minibus is ₹1.05 per km and for bus/truck is ₹2.2 per km. Though the MV Act defines a medium passenger vehicle, the weight of such vehicles is left undefined, and the definition of a 'bus' is nowhere found in the MV Act, the court said. Also, the court noted a clarification given by the RTO to the petitioner-association that irrespective of the unladen weight of the vehicles, all stage carriage vehicles are mentioned as 'bus' in the registration certificates. Since the toll collection is governed by the NH Act and the fee collection rules, and not under the MV Act, the court upheld the action of the authorities in recovering differential toll amount from the FASTag accounts.
