The committee of secretaries on roads, headed by road transport and highways secretary Brahm Dutt, has approved the proposed changes in National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 that will reduce toll charges on two-lane highways.
Now, the matter will be discussed by an empower group of ministers, consisting of road transport and highways minister Kamal Nath, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and planning commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, in its fourth meeting on Wednesday. Once the EGoM gives its nod, the proposal will be brought before the Cabinet. EGoM considered the proposal in in February 2010 too, but in the absence of consensus between the members the matter was referred to the committee of secretaries for further discussion.
The ministry of road transport and highways has proposed slab rates for charging toll on two-lane sections of national highways, as against a single rate under National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. As per the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules 2008, a concessionaire of a two-lane highway can charge 60% of the maximum rate applicable for four-lane roads as toll, if the total investment on upgrading the highway is more than Rs 1 crore per km. The existing rules prescribe a base rate of 0.65-4.2 to arrive at the chargeable toll for different vehicles on 4-lane national highways. But under the ministry?s proposal, 60% toll is applicable only on roads that require investment of more than Rs 3.5 crore. In case the road involves expenditure between Rs 1 crore and Rs 2.5 crore, the proposed rate is 30%. If a road is to be developed at an outlay of Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 3.5 crore, the rate increases to 50% of what is applicable to a four-lane road. As the toll rates are based on different slabs of investment, the net effect of the proposal is to reduce toll charges on two-lane sections of highways.
