Collection of toll in all National Highway (NH) corridors across the country will be through electronic mode within six months, Union Minister for Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari announced here on Friday.
Of the 380 toll plazas on the NH stretches in the country, work has commenced in 70 to convert them into electronic fast-track mode and collect toll through electronic cards.
Replying to queries during a two-and-a-half-hour interaction from Mumbai with reporters at 11 centres, including Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, Mr. Gadkari said the delay in collecting toll was causing a loss of Rs.66 crore and a loss of Rs.30,000 crore due to fuel wastage.
Stating that the electronic toll plazas would plug the financial loss, Mr. Gadkari said electronic weighbridges would also be installed in the toll plazas to keep a tab on goods movement.
To another query on the National Green Tribunal’s proposed curbs on diesel vehicles, the Union Minister said the Supreme Court had accepted the affidavit submitted by the Centre. Refusing to divulge the details, he said ‘great relief can be expected”. He also announced that a car usage policy would be rolled out in 15 days.
River interlinking
On the interlinking of rivers, Mr. Gadkari said the Detailed Project Report for 16 rivers were ready and the process to prepare DPR for 48 were on.
Land will not be acquired for the proposed Collachel port in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. It will be transhipment port and it will become the growth engine of Tamil Nadu. Mr. Gadkari said land would be acquired only for road development.
