Toll charges in India will increase nationwide by 3-5% starting today, following a postponement of the annual rise in April due to the country’s general elections, officials announced.
In accordance with inflation, toll rates are adjusted yearly in India. Beginning on Monday, about 1,100 toll plazas will see increases ranging from 3% to 5%, as announced by highway operators in local publications.
The senior NHAI official stated that the increased toll prices will take effect on June 3, 2024. This yearly revision corresponds with shifts in the inflation based on the wholesale price index (CPI), which drives modifications to user fees.
“As the election process is over, the revision of user fee (toll) rates, which was put on hold during the elections, would become effective from June 3,” a senior official at the National Highways Authority of India told Reuters.
According to the official, increases in gasoline product taxes and tolls help fund the construction of new national highways. However, opposition parties and a large number of drivers object to the yearly increases in fees, arguing that they burden commuters and raise the cost of transporting necessities.
The toll rises will be advantageous to high operators like Ashok Buildcon Ltd. and IRB Infrastructure Developers.
India now has the second-largest road network in the world, stretching over 146,000 km thanks to billions of dollars spent over the past ten years in national highway construction.
Increases in road traffic as well as the number of toll plazas and fees contributed to the toll revenues’ sharp growth to almost 540 billion rupees ($6.5 billion) in the 2022–2023 fiscal year from 252 billion in the previous year.
The vast network of national highways in India has about 855 toll plazas. Of these, 180 are run by concessionaires, and about 675 are supported by the government. The National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, include the toll increases in its yearly exercise. NHAI believes that the annual increase in toll tax will help in building stronger and more durable roads.
TV exit polls indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was expected to secure a sizable majority at the end of India’s general election on Saturday.
Increased Toll Charges on the Delhi-Meerut Motorway
The toll levy will be higher for drivers going from Meerut to Ghaziabad via the Delhi-Meerut Motorway and from Shamli to Karnal Highway. Car owners going from Meerut to Sarai Kale Khan would pay Rs 165 instead of Rs 160 at the Kashi (Partapur) toll plaza as of June 3 at 12 AM.
Instead of Rs 230, the toll for both directions in a 24-hour period will be Rs 250. On the Meerut-Karnal Highway, cars travelling from Meerut to Karnal via Shamli will pay an additional five to ten rupees. For various vehicle categories, different charges have been set.
Trip From Prayagraj To Varanasi And Kaushambi To Pratapgarh
It would also becoming more expensive to go from Prayagraj to Varanasi and Kaushambi to Pratapgarh. Significantly, the toll duty has been raised for small vehicles, such as cars, by five to seven rupees per kilometre, and for big vehicles, by twenty to thirty rupees per kilometre.
The Kanpur-Prayagraj Highway is where the toll tax has been raised the highest. As of right now, driving will cost you an additional 55 rupees at the Barouri toll plaza in Fatehpur and 40 rupees at the Katoghan toll plaza.
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